Not For Tots
by myboygeorge
Summary: A series of 3-part date nights for all the Crumbsian couples - lead-up, date and loving.  Takes place between mid-July and New Year's Eve following Alexis and Shane's wedding.  New readers always welcome!
1. Lanie and Dave I

Lanie sighed contentedly as she finished typing up her report. She'd been looking forward to tonight all week. She'd been on days and Dave had been on nights which meant they had limited time together for the last seven days, and she was looking forward to her next two days off. The second one would be devoted to a family night, but tonight, the first one, would be just for her and Dave alone.

She saved her file, then clicked 'Print' to print off the finalized report for Pearlmutter, shoved back from her work bench. She loved her children with all her heart but that was not the only reason she was happy to be getting off shift on time tonight. She was thrilled because the kids had been invited to Miss Agnes' house with Nessa for a kids-only sleepover, something Carey, Violet and Finn always looked forward to. It made them feel grown-up and special that they had their own little dates away from their parents to just be kids. And Agnes, who had grown in leaps and bounds in the two years since her return to New York to be there for her family, absolutely loved having the little ones around. It made her feel needed and useful, fulfilling the purpose and reason she'd moved back in the first place.

Lanie scratched her head as she walked down the hallway to Shane Weaver's autopsy theatre and stopped by the door as she listened to him; the newlywed was clearly on the phone with her beloved who had returned the previous Sunday to Princeton to begin her next semester of medical school. The shine of Shane's wedding ring bounced off the fluorescent lights from above.

'Yeah, I remember physio-four being a real bitch too, Lex...yes I've got the reminder set in my phone this time, not like back in March... yeah I remember that one from the honeymoon, it was a favuorite of mine.'

Lanie cleared her throat and Shane glanced up, nodded. 'Lanie's here, my sweet, so I gotta run... I love you too, I'll see you Friday. Bye.'

'Married life looks good on you so far, Shane,' Lanie said with a song in her voice as she moved over to the printer to pick up her printout. 'How's the distance going so far?'

'It's the same as ever, hellish to be apart and fun when we're reunited,' he replied, running his thumb over his ring. 'I'm going to see her on Friday night, I'm finishing days and start nights on Saturday, so day-trip. Keep up with her laundry and make sure the fridge is full of things other than juice boxes and granola bars and instant fish.'

'You're a good husband, Shane.'

'You've got two days off now, right? Any special plans?'

'Date night with Dave tonight. We're going to Mercadito Grove, place where we had our first date.' Lanie gave a little wiggle. 'Only this time, since it's not our first date, we both know without a doubt the other's going to put out.'

'That sounds like dirty Doctor Seuss.'

'Hilarious yet accurate.'

'Well, while you're having hot bean dip and hotter sex with your man tonight, I am prepping for court so think of me missing Alexis.' Shane gave her a playful pout and Lanie gave his shoulder a shove.

'Big baby, you'll see her in three days.'

'Not soon enough.'

* * *

><p>When Lanie arrived home with her work bag on her shoulder and a smile on her face, she wasn't at all surprised to walk into the sounds of Dave, Carey and Violet trying to get Finn to take his bath.<p>

'Come on, Finn, you like bubbles!'

'No! Wan' Mama!'

'Well, Mama is not home now, Finneran, you have to be a big boy like me and do it anyways.'

'No!'

'Zachariah Finneran, here's the deal. Bath time is no or no going to Miss Agnes' house.'

There was a lull, and Lanie could picture it perfectly as she slipped off her shoes - Carey and Violet standing by the tub with Finn pouting in the tub while Dave sat on the closed toilet lid. Rather than give her youngest son an escape hatch, she hung back to listen to the conversation out of sight.

Sure enough, there was a little bit of light splashing, followed by the movement of water and Finn's resigned little voice. 'O-kay Daddy, you coo'.'

'I'm cool? Well gee, thanks son. Carey can you get me a towel?'

'Uh-huh.'

Lanie waited in the hallway and saw Carey come barreling out of the bathroom. He saw her, opened his mouth to cry out she was home but Lanie held a finger to her lips, beckoned him towards her. 'Hi Mama!' he hissed happily. 'Daddy said we need a towel for Finn in his bath. We are packed and ready to go for our sleepover but Finn was being a mule about his bathtime.'

'Okay, you go get his towel, I'm going to go get changed but don't tell Daddy I'm home yet, okay?'

'You wanna surprise him?'

'Exactly.'

Carey nodded, his green-and-brown eyes serious, and he scrunched his left cheek up so he winked at her with the green one. 'You got it Mama.'

Lanie shook her head as Carey retrieved the towel and Lanie slipped into the bedroom where she changed out of her suit, sniffed at herself. She'd mostly teaching that day, working with the newbie MacKenzie Baccarin, showing her how to be efficient in her autopsies while still being thorough. She'd watched while the girl worked her way through the procedure, never flinching as she'd made cuts and removed organs, taking samples for testing. The bottom line - she didn't have the usual chemical stink she had clinging to her skin when she came home after a day in the lab so she would probably be okay with a change of clothes and an extra spritz of perfume.

She stood in front of her closet and heard the rush of water in the pipes - Dave had pulled the plug on the tub which meant Finn had survived a mama-less bath so she went into the hallway and saw her entire family coming out of the bathroom. Finn saw her first and clapped his hands from his spot in Dave's arms.

'Mama! Mama home!'

'Hi Mama!' Violet raced over, squeezed her mother around the legs. 'Were you at a cuh-rime scene today?'

'No, I was in the lab, baby.'

'That's why you suh-mell like that.'

Lanie made a show of sniffing her armpits, looking at Violet. 'I thought I smelled like me.'

'Violet has a very sensitive nose, Mama,' Carey reminded her. 'Remember, she could smell the funny smell at Nona's and she realized the gas was out on the oven?'

'Vi-let nosy,' Finn added in solidarity, make Lanie and Dave laugh. 'Daddy, nee' 'lothes.'

'Okay, okay, we'll get you fixed up. Hello, gorgeous.' Dave paused to give Lanie a three-second kiss which had Carey and Violet both wrinkling their noses.

'Okay, that is enough, Daddy, save it for when you are alone,' Carey admonished his father, then grabbed Violet's hand. 'Come on, we'll pick out a movie to take for Nessa.'

Lanie watched her two oldest children go off, then followed Dave into Finn's room where he immediately began to fasten on a diaper for the boy and pick out his clothes for the night. 'How was your day with the babies?'

'We had a great time, didn't we Finn?'

'Uh-huh.' Finn nodded at his mother. 'We go park.'

'You went to the park?'

'Uh-huh. Give dickies 'nacks.'

'We fed the ducks that god-awful bread my mother insisted we take home after our last visit to Albany,' Dave explained for his wife and saw her nod in both agreement and understanding, then turned to look at Finn. 'The duckies loved it, though, right?'

'Dickies love!' Finn clapped his hands cheerfully. 'Nom nom nom. Daddy, poppin?'

'I think you're allowed to have a little popcorn tonight, Finn. It is a sleepover movie night, after all.'

'Yea!'

When Dave had finished changing him and dressing him, he set Finn on his feet and watched him scamper out in search of his big bro and sister. Alone with his wife, he swooped her into his arms, let his hands clamp over her round backside. 'Hello Doctor.'

'Hello Paramedic.'

'So happy for some quality you and me time tonight. You need a shower?'

'Nah, I'm okay.' Lanie stretched to her tiptoes, gave him an enticing kiss. 'More where that came from later, sexy.'

'My hot chocolate goddess,' Dave murmured and stole one more juicy kiss; it was perfectly timed, too, as his lips had just left Lanie's when he heard Carey holler for his parents.

'Mama! Daddy! We are all ready to go to Miss Agnes' house and visit Nessa!'

Lanie and Dave gave a soft laugh,, still in each other's arms. 'Just think,' she said, 'a whole night kid-free.'

'I wonder what kind of trouble we'll get into.'


	2. Lanie and Dave II

'Bye, Mama, we'll be good for Miss Agnes!'

'We puh-lay nice wit' Nessa! It almos' her birth-day!'

'We goo'!'

Lanie grinned as she gave each of her babies a kiss goodbye for the night, watched Finn snuggle into the two-baby pram beside Nessa while Carey and Violet were big e'nough to walk on their own. 'They shouldn't be any trouble, Agnes,' she reassured the woman and Agnes laughed.

'I've looked after them before, Lanie, you just worry about having a good night with your man.'

There was a chorus of 'bye-byes' and Lanie felt her heart break a touch as she watched her babies walk off with their friend. When they were out of sight, tonight at least they were out of mind. She went back inside to the bedroom where she changed from her at-home comfies into one of her favourite dresses - a wonderful number the colour of crushed plums with a creamy bamboo print. It had been a birthday gift from Dave and she was absolutely thrilled she finally had an excuse to wear it. Of course, that had been the official party line; Dave knew she was hanging onto it until she felt comfortable wearing it once she'd dropped off the last of her Finn baby-weight.

Now, she tugged the straps over her shoulders, examined her body in the mirror. She still had the bit of a tummy below her navel where all her weight had liked to sit once Finn was born and she'd done as many sit-ups and stomach exercises as possible to get rid of it and it was mostly gone but there was still more there than had been before the third musketeer had come along.

Dave watched her as he buttoned his shirt and shook his head. 'Elenia, you are gorgeous,' he told her, loving the curves of her body. 'Hope you're hungry, I looked up Mercadito's specials tonight and there is an unlimited taquitos night tonight. Think we can break our record from the last time?'

'The only reason I was able to eat so many of those things the last time we went to all-you-can-eat taquitos is because I was two months into breast feeding and felt like I could eat a horse with room to spare,' Lanie replied, pouting at the shape her silhouette made. 'Man, why couldn't Finn have played nice like Carey and Violet, they were all bump and the fleshy bits were in my behind. He was all the weight up front.'

'Elenia.' Dave walked up behind his beautiful wife, wrapped his arms around her. 'You are a sexy mama, and you know you are.'

'Thanks, Dave. Just remember this conversation the next time we have family barbecue at Meredeth and Javi's and you pig out on brisket and potstickers.'

'Done. Now, are you ready for your knight in shining whatever to whisk you away for delicious spicy treats?'

'Here I thought we'd be having sex at home,' she teased him.

'That comes later, pun intended,' he replied and got an extra-long kiss for his bad joke.

'Well right now comes margaritas and unlimited taquitos.'

* * *

><p>Wherever else they may have gone on dates, Dave always thought of Mercadito Grove as 'their' spot - it was the place where he'd taken Lanie on their first date, after being a yellow-belly for almost five months of trying to work up his nerve to ask her out. Then on that wonderful first date Dave had spilled his guts about Hannah, his first wife that had died and rather than be spooked, Lanie offered understanding and compassion. He'd known from that first date that she could be a whole new world of love for him.<p>

Now here they were seven years later, married with three babies and a life they loved together. Yes the fact they had their issues of scheduling of time together since they both worked shift work but because they loved one another to the point of absurdity they always managed to make it work.

And tonight, it was definitely working.

He smiled at her as they sat down, ordering a pitcher of unblended margaritas and looking at the promised special of unlimited taquitos.

'Man, you do know my weaknesses, Dave,' Lanie sighed when she looked at the special's offering. Decision made, she set aside her menu and poured herself a drink. 'I didn't even realize I'd been craving the comfort food like this.'

'Only you can

'California girl at heart, my love.'

'Speaking of hearts, how's Baccarin doing?'

Lanie sipped her drink, nodding in approval. 'She's getting the hang of things, she has a really good eye for details. She'll be rotating into the field soon with Shane soon, which I hope doesn't drive him crazy.'

'Oh?'

'Shane is a great pathologist but he's not a teacher, he just expects people to know it the way he does.'

'And yet,' Dave replied, thinking it over, 'he married a medical student.'

'That's different, he loves Alexis. Baccarin is a colleague and he expects his colleagues to be as up to speed as he is.'

'Like Jayla?'

'Yes like Jayla. How is she doing?'

'Great, her and her girlfriend are finally back in their place after the termite infestation.' Dave looked up as the waiter approached and took their order, then continued once he'd left. 'It was impossible working with her though, while she had to stay with Monica, because Monica lives on the opposite side of the park, near Murray Hill and Jayla's a little bit OCD she doesn't like her routine interrupted.'

'Yet she works shift work.'

'She's acclimatized to shift work. I'm talking about when she has to have her off-the-job life interrupted. Much like when Finn gets his baths.'

Lanie laughed, sipped more of her margarita. 'I heard him raising a fuss tonight when I came in. He's a stubborn little guy.'

'Where do you think he gets that from?'

'You. All Montreal hockey fans draw lines in the sand like that,' she replied and Dave laughed.

'Ain't it the truth. Which reminds me, Thanksgiving this year, I don't think we're going to be going to Montreal.'

'Oh no, why not?'

'My grandfather is having knee replacement surgery and my _nona_ was very explicit she wants him quietly recuperating so that when Christmas comes, he'll be up and around with no complications.' Dave wrinkled up his nose in unhappiness. 'I like going to Montreal for Thanksgiving, the best foods are there.'

'I know. The butter tarts and the poutine and and the tourtiere. Reminds me of when we found out Carey was on the way.'

'Hard to forget.' Dave took her fingers in his, kissed them gallantly. 'Now he's six years old and going into grade one.'

'Rosie's excited for Violet to be going to school with her next year. She's told me she's going to sign up to be a kindergarten helper or reading buddy or something so Violet won't be so scared about being in a new place.'

'Truthfully, I'm worried about how Finn will handle her being at school more than how Violet will handle school. There's been reported cases of toddler depression when they are trying to adjust to siblings or cousins or friends moving away, going to school. He's so attached to Violet, you know?'

'I think he'll surprise us and be fine.'

'That's my Elenia,' he said sweetly, clinking his glass to hers. 'Forever a skeptic on the job, and always an optimist when it comes to our children.'

When they were served their taquitos - a sizzling grill of chicken and pork with fresh pico de gallo on the side, crema and queso freca, and salsa verde, both were able to put aside the natural worries over their children and just enjoy being two grown-ups enjoying a very messy meal, the kind chock full of innuendos that Dave couldn't resist. Not when his hot chocolate goddess of a wife looked so freaking adorable as she chowed down. Most men found a woman digging into her dinner with gusto a total turn off but they were not Dave Robbins and those other women weren't Lanie Parrish-Robbins.

He watched her with the mini-taco, the insides of it oozing out and a little dribble of crema fresca trailing down her chin. He was a red-blooded man and the fantasy that particular sight brought to mind made him discreet pull out his cellphone and send her a little text before offering her a napkin.

'Thanks baby,' she smiled at him, and swallowed hastily when her cell chirp-chirped and she read the incoming message.

_It's fun watching you like up the creamy white stuff like that ;)_

She read the text, saw Dave was keeping his expression mild but his eyes were dancing with innuendo, then looked around at the table.

'You know,' she said casually, 'I think there's still some whipped cream leftover from when we had pancakes for dinner last night. It would be a shame to let that go to waste, and the dessert here is way overpriced.'

Dave just held her gaze, gave her a wink. 'However might we use that up?'

'I have an idea or two in mind.'


	3. Lanie and Dave III

They managed to keep it together until they got home, but the second the door was closed behind them Lanie turned to face her husband and stretched to her tiptoes to kiss his lush lips.

'You taste like margaritas, David,' she murmured with a giggle.

'You taste like taquitos, Lanie,' he replied in the same amused tone, then toyed with the strap of her dress. He knew that she was wearing a strapless bra beneath it, but the illusion of her breasts being free-floating was enough for his libido. 'I know a good chaser for that.'

'Whipped cream?'

'You got the bod, I got the sauce,' Dave winked at her, reaching down to squeeze her behind, the one she thought was still a little too juicy and jiggly but he loved just as it was. The extra little bounce it had whenever she walked away from him made him send up a silent prayer for whatever power brought her into his life. 'Meet you in the bedroom?'

'Of course.'

Lanie darted down the hallway, kicking off her shoes and unzipping her dress as she rifled through her lingerie drawer until she found was she was looking for - the fly-away baby-doll in charcoal black that she'd bought herself for her first post-Finn night of love-making. She loved how sexy it made her feel and more, the look it put on Dave's face.

Digging into the toybox she kept in the drawer of her bedside table, Lanie found the jasmine scented candles and lit them to give the bedroom a nice little boost of fragrance and light. She tugged at the unmade bedsheets then arranged herself so her boobs looked round and full for him, her legs smooth and long and bare; the candlelight was winking off of the little silver toe-ring she was wearing while she waited for him.

When he walked in the room, Lanie took an extra deep breath - he was barefoot and shirtless. My God, what a body the man had, long and rangy and toned and golden, and Lanie realized she was mentally babbling to herself as she watched him dip in a teaspoon to the bowl of whipped cream, lick it off.

'Here I thought I was supposed to be your hot chocolate topped with whipped cream,' she purred at him, thrusting her lower lip at him.

'All in good time, my love.'

Dave came over to the bed, knelt beside his wife and held up a spoon of whipped cream to her lips, deliberately moving the spoon so the cream trailed over her upper lip when he drew it away. His blood bubbled hotly when he watched her tongue poke out and do a slow circle around the outline of her lips, catching the sweet white cream as she did. 'Oh, Doctor,' he groaned as her eyes stayed on his. 'Hurt me.'

'I'd rather love you.'

'That works too. But first.'

Lanie flipped her long black hair over her shoulder as she rolled to her back. She tried not to laugh in reflex as she felt Dave dab the swell of her left breast with whipped cream, then setting the bowl aside dipped his head to lick it off of her body. 'Mm, you do know how to love me,' she murmured.

'Yes I do.'

Dave kissed his way up her neck until her reached her mouth, felt her steady, capable hands flutter over his back; Lanie loved the feel of him under her touch. He was the most surprising man she'd ever known and he'd picked her; there were some days when that fact still amazed her.

But not tonight; tonight she just wanted to show him how much she loved him.

Shifting her hips, letting her legs fall open so he could fit snugly against her body Lanie linked her fingers at the back of his head to pull him in for a kiss so his angular body pressed into hers. Here was warmth, arousal, comfort, seduction, whatever she needed, David Angelo Robbins had it.

'Dave,' she murmured in his ear, 'I love you.'

'I love you too Lanie.'

Dave found her mouth once more, pecking her lips instead of lingering. She was his everything, so compassionate and loving and sweet even when she didn't think she was. For him, there reason his heart beat was this woman - Doctor Elenia Sophia Parrish-Robbins. His hand came up to touch her cheek, then moved down to her shoulder to slide the strap of her baby-doll down, the lace covering her breast slipping away so he brushed his fingertips over her nipple, teasing it into a pebble-hard peak; it made her sigh into his mouth, the heat rise from her skin.

Lanie closed her eyes and sighed in deep satisfaction as her husband undressed her inch by inch. She loved when it did this to her, unwrapping her like a precious gift. She gave a little thrust of her hips against his and when the lace was halfway down her body, she rose to her elbows as she watched him stand up, shed his pants and boxers. Her libido gave a happy thrum that zipped from the centre of her chest down between her legs when she saw him naked before her, his Italian Stallion flag flying proudly. Still feeling playful she moved to her knees and unfastened the front-clasp bra of the baby-doll so she too was naked in front of him, and her own lust for her life partner was mirrored in his eyes.

'David,' she purred, as he crawled on top of her, 'I'm yours.'

'And I'm yours, Elenia.'

They kissed each other once again, tongues tangling as skin heated, muscles going lax under the other's touch. Dave filled his hands with her breasts, thumbs scraping over her nipples and making her moan for him. He loved hearing her make that sound; even more, he loved to taste that soft skin, so he lowered his mouth to her, tasting her delicately. The damp cradle of her thighs ground against him, and her fingers clutched the skin of his back. He heard her moan his name, begging him for more, to use his mouth everywhere on her body.

He took her request to heart, kissing his way down the centre of her body, over the small curve of her belly and her c-section scar, until he reached the crease of her thigh, and just when Lanie thought he would drive her made with such teasing, she felt him fulfill his promise and kiss her tenderly in her most secretive place. Her head rolled limply from side to side, and she reached a hand down to twine through his dark curling hair.

'Yes, David,' she sighed for him, spurring him on, as she felt his hands grip her hips while she moved in rhythm for him as he pleasured her. She felt the muscles inside her body clench tight and tighter, building up for that beautiful release, and just before she could feel that glorious flood of orgasm, he moved up her body so that with his hands on her thighs to keep them open for him, Dave kept his eyes on her face as he sank into her.

'Yes, Elenia,' he murmured in her ear as they began to move together, then added, 'I want you above me, baby.'

'Uh-huh.'

Locking her legs around his hips Lanie rolled them so he was on his back beneath her and she was looking down into his eyes as he put his hands on her hips, urging her on. 'Oh god, Lanie,' he groaned, clenching his eyes as he threw his head back against the pillows as she began to ride him. 'God you feel amazing baby.'

'David, look at me,' she told him gently, putting her hands on his chest where she felt the thump of his heart. She watched him open those sharp green eyes, now cloudy with desire for her. 'Come with me, baby.'

'Yes, Elenia.'

Dave let her set the pace, slow at first and then faster and faster until she'd tipped forward and was swallowing his cry of release as he felt her shudder and dissolve in his arms.

Twined together, they lay blissful as a pair of cats with bellies full of cream, or whipped cream, Lanie thought with a little laugh. She snuggled her head against Dave's chest, listening to the beat of his heart and the stroke of his hands over her back.

'Eight years,' she sighed.

'Hmm?'

'Eight years, and you still rock my world like it was the first time all over again.'

'Well, the first time we didn't have whipped cream,' Dave reminded her, then reached out to find the bowl somewhere near the edge of the bed, examined its contents. 'There's still some in here, you know, enough for round two.'

'Perfect. I got to be your hot chocolate, now you get to be my dulce de leche.'

* * *

><p>The next morning Lanie awoke to find the bed empty, which wasn't surprising - Dave was naturally an early riser while she was decidedly not. Rolling over, she saw a note had been propped at her eye level on the bedside table and she picked it up, read it.<p>

_Morning my gorgeous goddess, if you're reading this, coffee is ready, pancakes are hot and the juice is cold. Oh, and we're out of whipped cream. Love Dave._


	4. Meresposito I

There was little Esposito loved more than seeing a case get slammed dunked thanks to his and his partner's testimony. Yeah, sure the snakes in suits known as defense lawyers tried to do their song and dance about police brutality but when the lowlife being accused of triple homicide took a swing as Esposito and Ryan with a five inch Bowie, Espsito considered grabbing the guy's wrist to twist him into disarmament one hundred percent self-defense. The fact the guy tried to run and Esposito's grip was strong enough that the murderer's wristbone snapped like a twig was incidental; they had him cold and he was going away for a long time.

He sat in the court room with Ryan on his left and Shane on his right, listening to the foreman read the 'guilty' verdict, and all three men fought the urge to leap up from the bench like the Mets had won the pennant. Judge Fuqua didn't care for shenanigans in her courtroom and Esposito didn't blame her at all, as this case had been a media circus from square one. She gave the order for the defendant to be remanded into custody until sentencing, then dismissed the jury. Only then did the courtroom erupt in noise once the formidible judge had left her bench.

The men all got to their feet, tugging at their suit jackets and waiting until they were in the hallway before turning to each other and giving discreet high-fives over their hard work paying off.

'That is a good day,' Ryan sighed on a little laugh, brushing his thumb on his nose. 'Lamont Groggins killed three people and knowing Fuqua won't give a creep like him the death penalty means it's time to celebrate a job well done. Pinkos?'

'I'm in,' Shane said. 'Alexis's home, you mind if she tags in?'

'Sure thing. Javi?'

'Nope, sorry, begging off.'

'What!' Ryan squawked indignantly. 'Dude, you were the point-man for this case, and you're ducking out?'

'I made a promise to Mere I'd celebrate with her tonight.' At the 'awws' the other men gave them, Esposito simply shrugged. 'You're both married men, you know how it goes.'

'Question. Where will the children be during this time?'

'Max is hanging out with his 'buelos, Tessi and Trini are having a girls' night at Rosie's house, and Leo is going to the movies with Dell and Carey and Jenny,' he replied. 'Mere texted me on recess. I'm going home to a baby free house tonight, she's cooking us a nice dinner, wine and candles and massage oils and I'll be coming to work tomorrow a very happy man.'

'I'd say something about oversharing but I'm a newlywed,' Shane laughed as Esposito checked his phone when it peep-peeped _Good Vibrations_.

The noise of his partners in crime faded into the background as he read the text from Meredeth - _kids are packed and ready to go as soon as you come home; they want to say goodbye to Daddy...and I want to say ola to my big papi_.

Esposito sent her a quick message back - _you got the chocolate sauce, I got the handcuffs, sexy_ - then cleared his throat as he tuned himself back into their conversation. 'Sorry, what?'

'Sex-texting Mere at the courthouse,' Ryan chided him with a shake of his head. 'You've gotten soft for your baby mama, Javi.'

'I assure you, Detective Ryan, I've never gone soft on Mere,' he replied, his response laced with double meaning only an idiot could miss.

'And on that note, I'm going home to my wife,' Shane declared, jamming his hands in his pockets to find his own cellphone and let Alexis know she was invited for celebration wings and beer at Pinkos.

Ryan and Esposito watched Shane go, the easy gait of the man as he chatted with his new bride. 'You think he knows just how obvious it is that he's practically floating anytime he mentions Alexis as his wife?' Ryan pondered.

'Me, I'm just trying to think of Alexis as anyone's wife,' Esposito said honestly.

'Says the guy with four kids.'

'Who's getting laid tonight while your wife is taking care of the babies and you're home with your almost four-year-old.'

'Touche. Just don't brag about it tomorrow morning too much.'

* * *

><p>When Esposito arrived home, he wasn't at all surprised to see two back-packs and two tote-bags lined up on the landing of the stairs, each beside a pair of shoes. He could hear the noises coming from the kitchen, little voices along with Arturo's tags jingling and the banging of plastic on plastic.<p>

The sounds of home, he thought with a smile as he put away his gun and holster, locked them in the drawer where he always kept them safely out of little fingers' reach. When he walked in, his eyes first went to Meredeth, his Danish angel, in her heat-wave clothes - a tiny little tank top that showed off her gorgeous breasts and equally tiny shorts that showed off her long, creamy legs. She was standing at the sink, washing dishes and the way she absently looked over at the table at their precious gems, flashed that winning smile, had Esposito going to butter for her already.

At the table were his babies - Tessi, Trini and Leo were playing a board game of some kind, and Max was in his high chair, amusing himself by watching them and banging a plastic spoon on his high-chair tray. It was the littlest Esposito that spotted the biggest one first and he increased his banging when he saw his daddy in the doorway.

'Dadadadada!' he burbled happily, and all three of Max's siblings looked up from their game; Meredeth looked over her shoulder at him from the sink.

'Hello Detective.'

'Hello Writer.'

'Daddy!'

Tessi squirmed out of her chair, raced over to hug her father; she reached him seconds before Trini and Leo did. She always liked to be the first one to reach him when he got home. He didn't smell like sweat and coffee today, which had her eying him up. 'You had to go to the judge's court room today, didn't you, Daddy?'

'Yes, I did.' Esposito looked down at Tessi, so innocent and sweet with her mother's eyes looking up at him. 'I didn't see you this morning, princess, how'd you know that?'

'Be...be...oh!' Tessi wrinkled up her nose in frustration. 'I'll get it right soon, Daddy.'

'It okay, Tessi!' Leo, ever protective of Tessi and her speech impediment, patted his sister's shoulder. 'You can do it.'

'Tessi, how you know Daddy go cour' today?' Trini asked, blinking patiently at Tessi.

'Because Daddy doesn't smell like he does when he is at the precinct.'

Meredeth watched as Leo and Trini leaned in to sniff at their father like he was a perfume counter, and nodded in agreement. 'Okay, guys, time to tidy up. I'll call Jenny and Lili, let them know the kids are ready for their night out.'

'Ninininini!' Max said, wiggling around in his chair as Esposito made his way over to the baby; he stretched his arms up to his daddy who picked him up and made him squeal with delight upon receiving a raspberry kiss on the cheek. 'Mamamamam!'

'Yes, Mami sees you, Max Power,' Meredeth cooed at him, then gave Esposito a kiss. 'So, are we celebrating tonight?'

'Tessi, twins, cover your ears,' Esposito instructed his children; when they'd clamped their little hands on their hands and Meredeth had done so for Max, he winked at her. 'That evil motherfucker is going away. Sentencing next Tuesday, nine-am. Ryan and I will be there to watch it go down.'

'Oh, congratulations baby!' Meredeth gave him another kiss then held up her hand in a puppet formation, made it nod so the other little ones knew to uncover their ears. 'That's so great!'

'Daddy, you got the bad guys?' Leo asked as he began to help his sisters tidy up their game. 'Cap'n say 'good work today'?'

'You know he did, Leo, he said Kevin and Shane and I did a great job.

'Shane is home from his honey-moo?' Tessi asked sweetly.

'He have a fun time?' Trini added, not to be outdone by her big sister.

'I'm sure he and Alexis had a great time, and speaking of great times, you need to get your hands washed up and get ready for your friends, they'll be here soon!' Meredeth reminded them and they scampered off; Tessi being the oldest took the boardgame box upstairs with her, while the lady of the house put Max back in his high-chair so she could heat up his formula. 'So, now that the tots are gone, what's the plan for celebrating?'

'You, me, nice dinner, then a movie or wine in front of the fireplace, then...lots and lots of fun trouble.'

'Well, you're in luck.' Meredeth's eyes twinkled as she opened the fridge, watched her husband's eyes go greedy. 'Look what I made today.'

Esposito could only stare longingly at the Heart of Chelios cake, then up at Mere with the same expression. 'Now that's one hell of a way to celebrate.'


	5. Meresposito II

Meredeth smiled at Esposito, giving him the come-hither look he told her came so naturally to her, took the cake out of the fridge. 'I was thinking, why don't we start with this first? That way, when our babies are back, it's not totally obvious what we've been doing.'

'You think our kids know...' Esposito trailed off, remembering what he'd heard from Shane at the wedding, that RJ was obsessed with understanding the concept of sex as 'baby-practice' and knowing his youngest daughter as he did, the tot could probably give timid and bashful Tessi a biology lesson or two. 'Nevermind. It's a little bit disturbing to think our not-yet three year old twins don't need the sex-talk.'

'You mean the initial one,' Meredeth reminded him, taking out her cake knife and lifter, plates, a pitcher of frosty cold milk; her hot hubby loved to drink milk with this cake. 'Then there is the 'self-love is totally natural, everyone does it' talk, the tampon-talk for Tessi and Trini, the-'

She was cut off when Esposito pressed his finger to her lips, then kissed her deeply. 'What we were talking about?'

'Something that should not precede Heart of Chelios talk. You slice this on up while I get changed.'

'Uh-huh.'

Meredeth kissed him again, then watched his ass as he walked out of the room. She loved his butt almost as much as he loved her boobs, as both had the same thing to say about the attributes - they were a perfect handful. Thinking about it, Meredeth wondered if maybe going to the bedroom wearing nothing but her rings and a smile while carrying two plates of cake would put them both in the mood, but she thought better of it - her man liked watching _Crank__ High Voltage_ in the living room so they could act like horny teenagers, making out and sexing up on the couch. Plus, Arturo was prone to wandering in their bedroom if they were home alone with love-making on the menu; if they were anywhere else, he just hid out in Tessi's room.

So she took the plates of cake into the living room, set up the DVD player and as an after thought their video camera for recording their little tryst, then reached underneath her top and unhooked her sports-bra to toss it into the laundry room. Her man didn't care for such obstructions once they got it in their minds to bang each other senseless. When he came downstairs, it would appear she was lazily waiting for her man, her only thought getting in her husband's pants.

'Hello, Writer.'

Meredeth looked over her shoulder, did a double-take - he'd skipped his comfy clothes in favour of just a towel. His impressive, smooth chest was bare and the cross that Lili had given him so many Christmases ago winked in the light of the room. 'Hello Detective,' she replied with a slow, appreciative drawl. 'Couldn't find anything you were interested in wearing?'

'Just you, Mere.' Esposito rounded the corner of the couch, took a seat beside her. 'Besides, this way it's easier for you to unwrap the gift of Javi.'

'The gift of Javi,' Meredeth repeated with a laugh, passing him his cake. 'What does that make me?'

'A Danish angel of the highest degree.'

'Aw, I love it when you call me that.'

'I love you too, Mere.'

Esposito dipped his fork into the slice of heavenly cake, savouring the taste of the strawberries and coconut and cream. It was great to have the night for themselves; he loved his children with all his heart but he was still a very red-blooded man who loved his wife, ad right now more importantly, his wife's very hot body.

Deciding it was too long to wait for the horrendously filthy and therefore awesome dog-track sexcapades of Chev Chelios and his lady, Esposito took a swipe of whipped cream off the top of his slice and dabbed it on Meredeth's shoulder, then leaned over and planted his lips there to lick it off. He felt her shiver, watched the tips of her breasts perk up under her top and he grinned against her skin.

'Mere, you look so tasty I just wanna eat you up,' he told her, watched her set aside her cake; he did the same, then returned to her shoulder. He loved her shoulders, they were so delicate and curvy, just like the rest of her body.

Meredeth felt his mouth on her skin, closed her eyes; god what a mouth he had. And those hands, those clever, working-man's hands that were gliding up her arms and moving the straps of her top down toward her elbows. 'Wait, just two seconds baby.'

She stood up, shoving the coffee table out of the way before turning to face him. With her eyes on her husband's, Meredeth shimmied her hips so that her shorts slipped to the floor and she wiggled out of her panties before slowly peeling her top over her head. She bit her fingernail in gleeful anticipation as she watched Esposito thrust his hips up, whip off the towel. She came back to him, straddling him so he could feel how wet she was for him already.

'God you are so hot, Mere,' Esposito breathed, stroking his hands up and down her sides before moving up to cup her breasts. They'd changed after nursing four babies but they were still lush and full and the way her eyes clouded over when he scraped his thumbs over the tips of them made him feel like a god. They'd been together nearly nine years, married for almost seven, and there were times when it felt like they were still in that honeymoon phase of a new physical relationship. Only, this was better because he knew what she liked, what she didn't like, and more, he knew this woman would be his lover until his dying breath.

Meredeth arched her back into his touch, as only he could touch her. Of all the men in the world, the best one had picked her, the curvy girl with the big smile and even bigger heart, and made her feel like the sexiest woman in the world simply by the look he got in his eyes when he glanced her way. Here was love she'd never thought she'd find and she knew, in these quiet intimate moments with just the two of them, exploring each others bodies like it was still the first time together, this man was her one true love.

'Javier,' she murmured, but he brushed a finger over her lips.

'Wait for it.'

He kissed her, and because they were there, practically begging for it, he cupped her breast and closed his mouth over it, tongue flicking over her nipple; Esposito felt the damp between her thighs, felt his body respond to hers and he groaned in satisfaction as he moved to the other one. He planted a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses over the sweet little valley between them, fingertips brushing over her dampened nipples, making her cry out for him. His hands moved down her sides to her hips, and lifting ever so slightly, he brought her down on top of him so he filled her up. The popped 'oh!' she made, as if she was always surprised by the size of his manhood, made his blood bubbly madly for hers.

Meredeth braced her hands on Esposito's chest as her hips began to rock, urging them both on as she felt the beautiful tension in her wind up tighter and tighter and tighter; she clenched her eyes shut to better absorb it, until she heard him tell her to open them. Meredeth did as he asked and kept her eyes on his, dark with desire for her and her alone as they rode each other over the edge.

'Now,' Esposito demanded as he felt the shift, the avalanche threaten to burst, 'Mere, say it now.'

'I love you, Javi.'

'I love you too, Mere.'

It was the last words that left his lips before release took them both. Spent, sated, they stayed tangled together, arms wrapped around each other, the only sound in the room their laboured breathing.

'Well, that's one way to spend the first part of our date night,' Meredeth said nonchalantly.

Esposito laughed, stroking his hand up and down Meredeth's back. 'What's next? Naked charades? Naked cooking?'

'You just don't want to put any clothes on.'

'Why cover up a masterpiece?'

Meredeth pecked her lips on his. 'Same goes for you, Detective.'

'You know what else I am?'

'Hungry?'

'Got it in one,' Esposito nodded, and with a loving slap to Meredeth's ass, prodded her off of his lap so he could stand up. 'Want to join me in a shower first?'

'Or, I can cook by dial-a-chef, then we can take Artie for a little walk, head over to pick up some take out, then we can kick each other's asses at _Havana Hellcats: Revenge of Gato Negro _and _Guardians of Valhall__a 14_.'

'Let me see if I have this right.' Esposito pursed his lips as Meredeth shut off the video camera, picked up his towel for him. 'You just finished seducing me, now you're suggesting for our date night take-out and video games?'

'I most certainly am.'

'Best wife ever.'


	6. Meresposito III

They showered together, as it was the most time saving and let the intimacy of their love-making linger. Meredeth had ordered from The App Store, a take-out restaurant that specialized in appetizers only, so they would be making a meal of spicy wings, quesadillas, cheddar jalepeno sticks, Cesar salad and something delicious called cactus potatoes. Esposito had no idea what was in them but he knew he loved the taste of them, as did Mere and since The App Store was about a fifteen minute walk from their house, they took Arturo with them in the wonderfully balmy August air.

'I hope Lanie and Dave get this kind of weather for Violet's birthday party on Saturday,' Meredeth commented as Arturo tried to tug her down the sidewalk and she simply gave his leash a tug.

'What about for Nessa's birthday?'

'Nessa's having a swimming party when she gets back from the Caymans with her parents.'

'Right, that's why Daniel wasn't around for cards last Friday. When are they back?'

'Aw, you worried about our friend?'

'Daniel mentioned Nessa's getting a bit anxious about her mother suddenly getting so big. She's worried about her falling and hurting the bumpy.'

'Bumpy?' Meredeth laughed as the light turned green. 'She's calling it bumpy?'

'RJ was there with Beckett when Daniel got there for cards night with RJ and Jojo, and RJ asked Daniel to give bumpy a moosh. Daniel had no idea what RJ meant so he patted his tummy and told him Andrea had a bumpy and it needed a moosh. And if that were cute enough to rot your teeth, Jojo added 'mush' and patted her tummy just like big brother.'

'Wow, she's already talking. Where has this year gone!'

Meredeth heard the chirp-chirp of her cellphone, passed Arturo's leash to Esposito to fish it out. 'Hello?'

'Hi-hi Mami!'

'Hi Leo! What's going on, little man?'

'Mami, it okay I 'tay wit' Dell?'

'You want to stay at Dell's?'

There was a shuffle and Meredeth heard Honey-Milk come on the line. 'Hi Meredeth, yes, Dell has invited Leo for a sleepover tonight, and I told him he had to check with you first.'

'That's fine by me, Javi?'

Esposito nodded. 'Let him hang with his friend, have a boys' night. Let me talk to him.'

'Okay, Jenny, put Leo back on, Javi's going to talk to him.'

There was another shuffle and Leo was talking to his father. 'Daddy? It okay? Puh-lease an' gassy?'

'Are you going to be a big boy, listen to Jenny and Kevin?'

'Uh-huh.'

'And you'll play nice with Dell and Mallory?'

'Ah course, Daddy.'

'And you'll have lots of fun?'

'Yea!' Leo cheered loudly so that Esposito held the phone away from his ear. 'Gassy Daddy! Gassy Mami! Love you!'

'We love you too.'

'Ah-dio!'

'Adios, _mijo_.'

Meredeth laughed as she put her phone back in her purse. 'Man, I cannot wait to see what you are like when Tessi and Trini start dating and they ask for later curfews.'

'Oh, they won't need curfews, they will have home devices implanted under the skin once they turn fourteen and the boys are sniffing around. Then I can activate them with a little remote control and magnetize them towards home.'

'Remind me the next time _The Stepford Wives_ comes on to make you watch it with me.'

'If it helps, the boys are getting them too so I know my sons are being perfect gentlemen with their lady friends.'

'This from the guy who just finished banging his wife on the living room couch,' Meredeth giggled. 'Left turn here.'

'I know, I know. You see, old man?' Esposito told the dog, who looked up at him with a tongue-lolling puppy grin. 'This is what it's like when Uncle Kevin tries to back-seat drive to a crime scene. Thank god you're just happy to go for the ride.'

At the mention of the word 'ride', Arturo snapped to attention and looked around. He knew this word well, knew that while it occasionally meant going to his doctor, he also knew it meant going to the big house by the water. He looked back and forth, searching for the car and gave Esposito and Meredeth an impatient woof when he came up empty.

'Hey, talk to Daddy, Artie,' Meredeth told him. 'He's the one who said the 'R' word, not me.'

'Just for that, you can hold the dog while I get out take out order.'

* * *

><p>By the time they returned to the townhouse, their dinner was at the perfect eating temperature, and neither Esposito nor Meredeth were surprised to find a message from Rosalita saying that Max was going to stay the night with his <em>abuela<em> since her son and daughter in law probably had plans.

'Reminds me of Momo calling me on my birthday and saying she wouldn't talk long since she figured we were celebrating,' Meredeth laughed as they put their food onto serving plates, took it into the living room. It was getting easier and easier to think of her beloved and much-missed grandmother without the pain of her loss feeling like a knife in the heart.

'My mother was a little more reserved about that since Lili's, well, Lili and I didn't lose it until I was actually a cop. ' Esposito paused, his hand on the games self of the DVD case and looked at Meredeth. 'What do you think that will be like, if we have to contend with the possibility of our kids being sexually active when they're in high school, Mere?'

'Won't happen. They'll be chipped and bugged when they hit puberty, remember?'

'Oh, who's a funny mami?'

'Funny mami who's gonna kick your ass. Or would you like to kick mine first?'

'Well, I'm pretty good at _Havana Hellcats_.'

'Yeah, _Rise of Suarez._ This is _Revenge of Gato Negro,_ and the final level of _Suarez_ is the training mode here.' Esposito popped the game disc in as Meredeth brought in the plates of food and a bowl with ice cold beer in it. 'Now this is every man's dream.'

'Beer and video games and a sexy mama to service him?'

'No. Beer and video games and a sexy mama who knows that a date night doesn't have to be about the fancy and hip night-spots, it's about spending time together when youv'e got busy lives and busy babies.'

Meredeth twisted open two beers, passed him one. 'Then it's a good thing I'm a sexy mama who understands that.'

'I love you Mere.'

'Love you too Javi. Now prepare for annihilation.'

Fifteen minutes into the game, Meredeth's bravado has dimmed slightly but by no means was her determination on the same downward slope. She watched as her on-screen avatar feinted left, handgun at the ready, only to be cut down in the hail of bullets on the open courtyard they had to cross in order to complete the search for the missing jail key.

'Why can't I run any faster?' she asked Esposito, whose avatar managed to make it through the under-brush every time she bit the big one. 'I have just as much on my energy level as you do.'

'Yeah but you have to learn how to manoeuvre. Look, the bullets come in a pattern, high low high low. You're running straight up so of course you'll take two in the chest.'

'How do I crouch?'

'B, X, and the diamond button.' Esposito watched her press the combination, her elation when the animated character crouched into a battle stance. 'There you go.'

'Okay, let's try it again.'

This time they both made it over the open courtyard and were able to find the missing jail key hidden in an abandon outpost shack, which had Meredeth pausing to save their progress and so they could take a snack break.

'You know, I was thinking...' Meredeth selected a cheddar-jalapeno stick, dragged it through a puddle of creamy ranch dip. 'Max and Leo are having sleepovers. What do you think it would take for Lili to keep the girls for a sleepover too?'

'I don't know, let's find out.'

Without hesitating, Esposito picked up the houseline and dialed his sister's number. 'Ola, _hermana_,' he said when she picked up. 'Quick question. How much arm twisting would it take for you to keep the girls for a sleepover tonight?'

'A batch of Meredeth's red raspberry tea, and her beef and bean enchiladas on Saturday for lunch.'

Esposito looked at his wife who was sipping her beer and watching him with that oh-so-sexy curious smile. 'Done.'

'Oh, and you have to take my kids next time I want a night of banging my very hot hubby senseless without fear of being interrupted.'

'Also done.'

'Wonderful. Now go enjoy your night with Mere.'


	7. Dell & Tessi

_Hello everyone! Any of you going to have the same withdrawal as me with no new episode until the 21st? Hopefully this ultra-cute chappie will help bridge the gap! It's not the same trio of date-night moments as the first two date nights but it's an amazingly sweet one-shot nonetheless! Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>'Daddy!'<p>

'Hey, there's my girl.'

Ryan laughed as he came through the door, crouching to catch Mallory in a hug as she raced towards him. He stood up with his daughter in his arms, exaggerating his groan. 'Oh, you are getting too big on me. Where are Mama and Dell?'

'Mama suh-noozing. She work hard. 'Mon, Daddy, we fin' Dell,' Mallory told him, blinking her pretty eyes and patting her father's shoulder.

As a sign of politeness to a growing boy, Ryan and Honey-Milk had begun knocking before going in Dell's room. Ryan did so now, watching how his son unscrewed his used insulin sharp from his injector.

'Hi Daddy! You're home early tonight. Is that because we have dinner plans or did you finish on time tonight?'

'Finished on time tonight. Don't forget to put your sharp in your bucket.'

Dell gave his father an obligatory eye-roll. 'Jeez, Dad, I know _that_,' he said, and made a show of picking up the capped needlepoint between forefinger and thumb, and depositing it in his bio-hazard receptacle. 'There, see? Just like the other times today and the day before that and that and that.'

'My son the joker.'

'Dell!' Mallory came skidding around the corner and pulled up short, remembering the rule. She tapped her knuckles lightly on the doorframe, looked up at her father.

'Mall what would you like?' Dell asked his sister politely, albeit with strained patience. He had something important on his mind he wanted to talk to his father about.

'You wanna puh-lay Go Fish?'

'Sure, in a moment Mally. I gotta talk to Daddy first.

Ryan furrowed his brow, and he stepped into his son's room. 'Dell? What's on you mind?'

'Well...' Dell picked up his beloved rex, still complete with a band-aid wrapped around his claw, held onto him as he searched for the right words. 'Tessi's very nervous to start school. I thought maybe she might like to talk to a friend. So...can Tessi and I have our own table tonight at the restaurant?'

'Your own table, huh? You have cash to take Tessi out on a date?'

'I think so,' Dell replied seriously, and went to uncork his dino-egg shaped money bank.

'Dell, Dell, it's fine,' Ryan assured his son on a light laugh, crossing to the boy's bed where he watched him count out his dollar bills and quarters. 'I was only teasing.'

'Oh. That's not a nice joke Daddy.'

'I'm sorry for the confusion. I think wanting to do something for your friend is very nice.'

'Thanks Daddy. Okay, I gotta pick out something spiffy to wear!'

* * *

><p>Dell loved going to Bamboo Garden, all the sights and smells of delicious food he didn't get to have all the time, and he could have an extra helping without having to make sure he left some for his little sister too. He loved her, but man was she a pain to share with some days.<p>

When they arrived in the foyer, Dell smiled when he saw Tessi Esposito and felt the extra warm happy glow in his chest he always felt around her. She looked very pretty tonight - she was wearing a red t-shirt and khaki shorts and brown sandals. She was absently looking around and gave him a wave when her gaze landed on him, smiling so her tiny white teeth flashed.

'Hi Dell,' she said sweetly.

'Guess what, Tessi,' he replied, suddenly unable to contain his surprise. He stepped away from his parents who were talking to Esposito and Meredeth and over to her. 'Daddy said we get to have our own table tonight, just you and me!'

Tessi's blue eyes went round in excitement. 'Really? But...but we need Mami and Daddy to buy us our supper!'

'Daddy will take care of it.'

'Okay, Esposito and Ryan family, this way please,' the hostess said, and a another waitress came over to escort them to their table while the hostess took two children's menus and looked at Dell. 'And you young man and your lovely lady, will follow me.'

'Dell, I'm scared, what if Mami and Daddy can't see us?' Tessi asked in a hushed whisper.

'It's okay, Tessi, I'm here. Come on.' Dell slipped his hand in hers and they followed the hostess who sat them a little table for two right beside the table for ten where the rest of their families were seated.

'Can I bring you something to drink? A soft drink or a glass of milk?' the waitress asked, her heart going to mush when Dell pulled out Tessi's chair for her before sitting down himself.

'Diet Doke. No,' Tessi shook her head, forced herself to fix it. 'Diet C..C..Coke, please.'

'I would like the same please,' Dell added, then smiled when Esposito came over, knelt so he was at eye level with them. 'Hi, Javi.'

'Hey guys, have fun tonight, just don't be wasteful with your plates since there's no parents around, okay?'

'I'm a gentleman, Javier,' Dell replied regally. 'I have very good manners and will take very good care of Tessi. In fact, we are going to get some chicken and beef and vegetables right now.'

'I would like my drink first.' Tessi wiggled a little on her chair, looked at her father. 'I'm having a Diet Doke, Daddy.'

Esposito felt a little hitch; he knew Tessi was nervous about starting school, what the kids would say about her speech impediment and so because she was nervous, that was making it worse. 'I bet that's tasty, princess.'

'Here we are.' The waitress returned with two child-sized soft-drinks garnished with a slice of lime. Tessi took a sip, then nodded. 'That is way yummy. Come on Dell, now we can have chicken and beef and veggies.'

The two young ones went up to the buffet, Dell passing Tessi a plate and they helped each other load it up. They skipped the sticky sweet sauces like the plum and pineapple in favour of the brown almond sauce so that it wouldn't jack Dell's sugar to high heavens. Tessi saw her mother and father give her a wink and a smile as she put her plate on the table; when she sat back down, she picked up the envelope of chopsticks. She rubbed them together like she'd seen her parents do when they ate Chinese, then with the skill of practice snagged a piece of her lemon chicken.

'Tessi that is so cool!' Dell exclaimed, scooping up rice with his fork. 'Can you show me?'

'Sure, Dell. Here.'

He waited patiently as his Tessi showed him the right way to hold the chopsticks in his hand, how to control them for picking up food from his plate. When it took him six tries to get a single piece of sweet and sour pork to his mouth while it took Tessi only two, he simply shrugged and kept trying.

'Guess I just need some practice, huh?'

'Of dourse.' Tessi paused, then frowned into her plate. 'They're gonna laugh at me, Dell.'

'No, Tessi, they won't,' Dell tried to reassure her, but Tessi shook her head.

'I sound silly, they will tease me.'

'No way.' Now he was firm in his tone, as firm as an eight-year-old could be. 'You have to remember something very important.'

'What?'

'They are starting kindergarten too. They are just as scared and nervous as you.'

'Huh.' Tessi hadn't thought of this, and took a sip of her Diet Coke to organize her thoughts. 'So, maybe there might be someone else with a stutter too?'

'Or maybe someone who is diabetic like me, or maybe they have an allergy or their first language at home isn't English. My friend Scottie, his dad is German and they only speak German at home, he learned English at school.'

'Mami always says we should make friends with a person, not the things people say about them.'

Dell picked up his glass, tapped it against hers. 'That's the spirit.'

By the time it was time to pay the check, and Dell made a little show of taking out two dollars from his pocket to leave a tip on the table, Tessi was feeling much better about the overwhelming prospect of starting school. She stood on the sidewalk by her parents as they chatted a little with Ryan and Honey-Milk, Dell on the other side of her. Because she remembered her manners, she tugged on Dell's wrist.

'Thank for my dinner, Dell.'

'You're very welcome, Tessi.' Then, going on impulse, Dell leaned over and kissed Tessi's cheek. 'Have a good night.'

Tessi turned red as a pomegranate, then took her mother's hand as they walked down the street to the subway station with the rest of the family, Dell watching her the entire time. When he gave a little lovelorn sigh, Ryan looked down and grinned.

'So, how was your date, son?'

'Oh Daddy,' Dell sighed, looking up at his father, 'some day I am gonna marry her.'


	8. Lili & Cam I

Cam closed his eyes in the elevator, tried to shake off the phantom pain in his knee. It always got like that this time of the year, as he'd been turned down for knee surgery time and again. He knew he was never going to heal, not completely, but dammit, he was so sick of having to wear the most fuck-ugly shoes in the history of mankind for work when his colleagues got to wear funky Nikes or Addias or even gel-soled Crocs. Why did his actually have to look orthopedic?

He knew he was just trying to find something to pick at since he was pissed about his plans with his wife being ruined the night before. All he'd wanted was an evening with Lili once the kids were in bed. Cold drinks, sexy music, making out on the couch to a rented movie since he was on call until nine. And right at eight-forty-eight, his pager went off - a minor explosion at a factory had sent eleven workers to George Washington Memorial with varying degrees of cuts, burns and other injuries. He'd helped save three people's lives that night and while it made him feel good he could tell their families a dad, a mom and a brother would be home safely in a few days the only thing Cam could think of in his down moments was being home in bed with his sexy Latina.

Maybe he could cash in that favour with his brother-in-law, he decided as the elevator doors opened and more people filtered on, others filtered off. God knew Esposito owed him one for the impromptu sleepover Tessi and Trini had had with Rosie. Duncan had gone to bed early that night after a day of playing in the park, so for Cam to have his home filled with three squealing little girls with no other testosterone to balance it out was a little overwhelming. At least at Meredeth and Esposito's house when there were too many girls around Esposito had the dog for male companionship; they didn't even have a fish.

When he reached the main floor where the ER was, he tried to fight the yawn as he walked out of the doors into the end of August heat. It was the twenty-second and it still felt like there was more summer yet to come, which Cam loved. Spending summers in Scotland with his father at the family ancestral home had meant rocky beaches and cold nights, here in the urban canyon of the Big Apple there were nights when he was cranky about even wearing a pair of loose boxers shorts to bed because it was so damn hot.

He stopped at the souvlaki cart for a snack; despite the fact it was six in the morning, Cam would always find a reason to eat Greek food. It was inexplicably his favourite. Maybe it was because it reminded him of the meals he'd eaten on-base when he'd been in the Corps, or maybe because meat with foreign spices and delicious sauces on chewy bread reminded him of when he'd been dating Lili and she'd started taking him to her mother's bakery in the barrio.

'Hey Theo, how are you man?' he asked, not even bothering to place an order - Cam ordered the same thing every time.

'I cannot complain on a morning so beautiful,' the vendor replied. 'You are coming in to work or going home to your babies?'

'Home to my babies, but they're not so little anymore. Rosie's seven and Duncan three.'

'Ah, they are still your babies, my friend. Mine, they are almost your age and still they are my babies.' Theo passed Cam his order - gyros with extra tzatziki, no black olives - then reached into the ice-chest of his cart to find a bottle of apple juice. 'Oh, my friend, I have no apple juice on ice yet, cranberry or pineapple?'

'Cranberry. Thanks Theo, I'll see you tomorrow morning.'

'I will be here, my friend.'

Cam munched the entire subway ride home, tossed the wrapper out when he left the station four blocks from his house, and cracked open his juice. He hoped that Lili and the kids were still asleep, though that was unlikely - Saturdays meant that Rosie and Duncan were up at the ass-crack of dawn with a box of original Cheerios, the milk carton and would be in the living room watching cartoons until nine am when it was time to get ready for swimming lessons at the YMCA. Then there would be a visit to the bakery or to Chelsea for a visit with the cousins, followed up with naptime, and boy howdy did Cam want one of those after nearly a ten hour emergency shift.

He opened the door of the apartment quietly, trying to make sure the noise of his cane clipped in time with his footfalls and was a little surprised to see that the living room was empty. A quick check of the beds told him his angels were still asleep, which was very weird - Saturday morning cartoons was a ritual as vital as Christmas to Rosie and Duncan. When he went into his room, saw his gorgeous bride sleeping face down in bed with only the bedsheets for pyjamas, so Cam put his cane on its rest by his bedside table and began to undress.

It was the noise of his zipper on his backpack that gave him away, as Lili heard the ripping sound and turned towards him, groaning sleepily.

'Babe, it's late, why you gotta make so much noise?' she mumbled.

'Lucita, it's quarter to eight, my darling, I just got home from a ten hour overnight.'

'It is?' Lili lifted her head with its waterfall of black curls off the bed, stared at the clock and thumped back down once more. 'Then come to bed, the kids are still sleeping.'

'Why are the kids still sleeping?' Cam inquired. 'Usually when I'm on nights on a Friday, I come home and they are glued to the box with their cereal like it holds the answer to the meaning of life.'

'They were up about an hour or so after you left, it was too hot for them, so I gave them each a cool bath and we read stories until they passed out around eleven thirty. They are exhausted, as am I. I had that dream again.'

'Oh, honey.' In his boxers and t-shirt now, Cam crawled into bed beside her, pulled her close. 'Nothing is going to happen to me again, you know that. I'm retired from the Corps.'

'I know, but...I don't know, maybe it's because you shipped out this time of year the last tour you had.'

'Maybe, but you know I'm right here, safe and sound, healthy and whole. Well whole minus the bits of my knee on that shrapnel I keep in the closet. Is it weird I do that?'

'Keep it in the closet? No. Now if you wanted to keep it on the coffee table as a conversation piece, different story. Now shh. I know you're tired so close your eyes. I'll take the kids to swimming this morning, and then we can have a family afternoon, okay?'

'Okay.'

Cam stroked Lili's arm draped over his torso as he wiggled down into bed against his goose down pillows; he'd just closed his eyes when-

'Son of a bitch!' he yelped as the houseline rang. He glanced at the caller-ID and in that moment could have gleefully strangled both Esposito J&M. 'What do you want so early, bro?'

'It's sister, and to take your kids out of your hair today,' Meredeth replied with a light laugh.

'My kids?'

'Lili called here last night, mentioned you got called in to work when you were all set to have a mommy-daddy night once the little ones were in bed asleep, so I'm repaying the favour she gave me and Javi a couple of weeks ago.'

'Did she?' Cam glanced down at Lili, whose eyes were closed, her breathing even and rhythmic.

'Yes, she did. I know what it's like to be married to a man who gets called in at screwy hours and has his plans of all kinds interrupted so Javi and I are picking the kids up at nine-thirty, we're going to swimming lessons, then we are going for a trip to the park until it is time for the movies.'

'You're a saint, Meredeth.'

'You say that now, I'm sure you and Lili will enjoy the...alone time. Then you'll really thank me.'

'Yes, yes we will. Okay, we'll have the kids ready for nine-thirty.'

Cam hung up the phone, then patted the space between Lili's shoulder blades with his palm. 'Lili.'

'Nuh.'

'Lucita, you and I are getting a kid-free day, well, until about four o'clock this afternoon.'

'Whoopee. I take it Meredeth is repaying the favour we gave her and Javi?' Lili asked, sitting up and smacking her lips together a little.

'Yes, which means you and I get some time just for us.'

'Outstanding. Set the alarm clock for nine, I'll be sure to have the kids up and ready to go.'

'I'll help you,' Cam started, but Lili shook her head firmly.

'Cameron, you need to sleep after working the night shift. No arguments.'


	9. Lili & Cam II

'Bye Daddy, you get some sleep.'

'Gotta res' up, be 'tong.'

Cam gave his children each a sleep smile as they came in to give him kisses. It never failed to amaze him, make him so proud of Rosie and Duncan, how easily they accepted their father's screwy work hours. He gestured them over for a hug, breathing in the soap and crayons smell of his babies.

'You be good for _tante_ Meredeth and _tio_ Javi, right? You are their guests.'

'No worries, Daddy.' Duncan scrunched up his right cheek in an attempt to wink in solidarity at his father. 'We coo'.'

'All right, troops, commence Operation Sugar Baby then fall out.'

Rosie giggled enthusiastically; she loved when her father used terms like that for them. She was very proud of her father the war hero and would take anyone to task if they tried to make fun of him and his limp. She had even gotten a detention the previous year at school when she'd had a rather heated exchange of words with that stupid Melissa Cotter who told her that her daddy was a 'gimp'. Rosie hadn't fully understood what the word meant, but she knew the tone Melissa had used was inexcusable; the loss of a single recess defending her father's honour was well worth it.

Because she was also a good big sister, she let Duncan go first for Operation Sugar Baby - he leaned over the side of the bed and pecked Cam on the cheek, gave him an extra hug. When Rosie took her turn, she kissed her father twice on the cheek, once for him and once for his knee she told him, making Cam laugh.

'Alright, my little soldier, go have some fun with your cousins,' he told her, watched her go out of the room with her mother and her brother, and Cam rolled back onto his side, closing his eyes.

The next sensation he was aware of was waking to the feel of Lili in his arms, just as naked as she'd been when he'd arrived home that morning. A quick glance over at the clock on Lili's side of the bed told him it was just about one in the afternoon, which meant he'd slept a solid four hours, the kind of sleep that wasn't long but satisfying.

He looked down at his beautiful Lili, his blushing bride with her caramel skin and waterfall of curling black hair. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life; what he'd ever done to deserve this strong, sexy woman of amazing principles and heart. For some reason, lying with her that morning, Cam thought back to a moment when he'd been stuck in the middle of the Iraqi desert just three weeks after they'd been married. He'd been sitting in the humvee awaiting orders and fished out the picture of Lili in her sexy little Catholic school uniform, aching for her like never before. He'd never disclosed to his fellow soldiers that Lili was a virgin until their wedding night until that day, when he'd told his fellow corpsman Doctor Jason Carver about her and Carver was discreet enough to keep his mouth shut and sincerely compliment him on his dedication to his wife.

That night, too, had been one of the most special of his life. Cam would never forget the look on his Lili's face, the anticipation mixed with the edges of fear when he first sank himself inside her on their wedding night, the pain of it turning into acceptance and finally into pleasure until he felt the clench of her around him and the shudders she'd given off when she'd came for him. The feeling of her breath on his cheek, her fingernails digging into his back, the sound of her pleasuring whimper in his ear were etched into his very soul.

Cam chuckled low in his throat, as even the memory of his first time with Lili made him hot. The vibrations in his chest must have woken her because he felt her lifting her head and turning her bedroom eyes to look at him.

'Hey there, handsome,' she sighed at him.

'Hello gorgeous.'

'I know that look.' Lili propped her head on her fist. 'I know what you're thinking.'

'Oh you do?'

'Mm-hmm. You're thinking about our first night together.'

'You are good.' Cam studied her sleepy smile, the impertinent purse of her lips and his blood ran a little hotter yet. 'Okay my turn. I know what you're thinking now too.'

'Really? What?'

Lili fought back the delighted laugh as Cam rolled them so she was underneath him and he was kissing her, tongue dipping delicately between her lips. She loved his mouth, the way he took his time with her, never rushing her. It was something that she'd loved about him right from the moment she'd admitted to him that she was a virgin - once he'd learned that he'd taken his time with her, understanding that she needed his patience as much as his passion. Now, nine years married and two babies later, that passion was still going strong, as was evidenced by the fact they were about to make love in the middle of a Saturday afternoon since they had the house to themselves.

Shifting her hips, Lili felt him press his body into hers as he kissed her deeply, erotically. When he moved over her jaw, caught her earlobe lightly in his teeth, she gasped, then groaned his name in his ear. She loved when he did little things like that to her in bed, it made her feel so sexy, which in turn opened her confidence to return the pleasure to him. Her hips thrust up against his as she felt his tongue curl out, taste the spot where her jaw turned into her neck; her pulse was already jumping wildly when her husband moved down to her throat.

'Cameron,' she sighed, clutching at his back and peeling his shirt over his head. She brushed her fingertips over his chest before pulling him tight once more.

'Lucita, just wait, just a moment,' he replied, his breath already to start to come in a pant. Manoeuvring himself, he shed his boxers so he was just as naked as her, then because he loved how it felt, pulled the sheet up to cover their tangled legs. 'There, that's better.'

'I agree a hundred percent.'

Cam grinned at his wife, kissed her once more. She had the softest lips in the world, sweet and seductive, just like the rest of the skin on her body. He let his hands drift up to cup those beautiful breasts that seemed to only have ripened like lush late-season peaches once they'd had their children. They still fit perfectly into his hand, and he moved down her body to taste them, making Lili whimper in pleasure. He felt the slick cradle of her thighs glide over his erection as he rolled his tongue over her pebble-hard nipple, making him groan in response to her.

'Cam, baby,' Lili sighed, running her hands over the back of his head, 'use your mouth on me.'

'Mm-hmm.'

Knowing it would drive her wild, Cam took his time traveling down her body, trailing kisses over that soft skin until he reached the inside of her thigh and moved to pleasure her the way she wanted it. He loved this act of lovemaking with her, the way she let everything go and just let herself feel. That he was the only man to do such things to her, to make her feel what she felt, gave him such a sense of pride that it only made him want to make her feel more of it.

Lili arched her back, fingers digging into the bedsheets as nothing but sensation after sensation swamped her system. 'Oh, god Cam, so good, so good, so...oh!'

She felt the clench in her belly, the shudders commence as the orgasm tumbled through her, which made her hips grind a deep, slow rhythm. His hands cupped them, steadied them as he flicked out his tongue and shot bullets of need through his wife's system; the sounds she made were music to his ears.

When she'd gone limp, every last drop wrung from her, or so she thought, Lili watched her husband lift his head, press a kiss to the spot where she still had the faint line of her c-section scar before moving back up her body once more. She let her legs fall open, slipped a hand between their bodies to take him inside her. She watched his face as he felt her, filled her up, right to the hilt and she locked her legs around his hips.

'Cameron.' Lili brushed her fingertip over his lips as they began to move together, their bodies creating a delicious friction. She slicked sweat-dampened palms down his back as one of his steady, capable hands covered her breast.

'Lucita,' he moaned, using her given name.

Lli groaned in satisfaction once again when she felt him pick up the pace, and drew him in close to whisper to him, 'Faster, Cam.'

So he increased his pace, each stroke going faster and faster until he heard her moan for him that she was coming, and he kept his eyes fixed on her face until he couldn't take it anymore.

'Lucita.'

Her name was a cry on his lips as he emptied himself into her.


	10. Lili & Cam III

They were still twined together ten minutes later, enjoying the afterglow sensation of each other's bodies. Lili felt her husband, the big badass war hero, snuggle against her naked breasts, enjoying the rise and fall of them as some would the feeling of floating on a raft in a rippling infinity pool.

'Lieutenant George,' she murmured, brushing her hand over his army haircut, the one he refused to give up even after nearly eight years of retirement. 'What would the troops say if they saw you cuddling with your wife after sex?'

'They'd congratulate me on scoring such a hottie and question whether or not you're brain damaged since you married me.'

'Really?'

'Well, most of them would. Carver would just say he's jealous his wife waits for special occasions to give it up. That or when she goes to Atlantic City and wins big.'

Lili laughed; she remembered Carver from Cam's many trips to physiotherapy. He was a good guy and had always been sweet with Lili in a genuine fashion. Years of filtering out bad dates had given her an internal radar highly tuned to those fronting their pleasantries and she'd never once gotten that vibe from Carver.

'Kinda gives the phrase getting lucky a different spin, huh?'

'Indeed it does.' Cam turned his head to look out the window, gave a little laugh. 'Hey, it's raining.'

'Yeah, it is. It was just starting when I got in.'

'When you got in?'

Lili nodded. 'After Meredeth and Javier came to get the kids, you looked so peaceful sleeping so I stepped out and ran a few errands, and you hadn't budged from your side of the bed when I got back an hour later.'

'I must have been really out of it, huh?'

'You pretty much worked a double yesterday, baby. What did you expect?'

'I worked worse hours when I was in the desert,' Cam started, then changes tactics midstream, 'but this is not wartime when I could be bombed at any moment by enemy planes or something.'

'Or something.'

He heard the tone of her voice and knew after learning she'd had the dream again in which he'd come home in a body bag, Cam knew not to press this any further. 'I have an idea, Lil. Why don't we take the subway up to your mother's bakery and get some of those sweet rolls, make it a sugar-day since it's such pissy weather out?'

'Actually, I'll do you one better. Get dressed.'

'Aw, not an activity we can stay naked for?'

'We could but call the need for clothes a hunch. Even a bathrobe would suffice.'

Curiosity piqued, Cam rolled off of Lili and sat up, watching her cute behind as she found fire-engine red panties and matching bra, then tossed on a knee-length t-shirt dress. He opted for her suggestion of just a bathrobe, and linking fingers her with, went into the living room. He looked at Lili, then at the surprise she'd set-up.

'Oh, Lucita, this is perfect!'

She'd arranged an indoor picnic for him. It had been their original plan for the day - after the kids were done at swimming, they would take a buggy ride in Central Park and set up a little picnic lunch to enjoy as a family. Now, it was just for them in their living room - Lili had spread out the old comforter they used for their blanket and had set up two place settings, even adding two scented votives waitign to be lit in glass holders and the wine they'd been set to enjoy the night before was now chilling in a bucket beside which two glasses sat waiting.

'Ta-da,' she said in a sweet voice, and Cam pulled her in for a kiss.

'You are the best girl ever, baby. But you work hard too, you know, you don't have to cater to me.'

'I don't and besides it's a two-way street.' Lili wrapped her arms around Cam's neck, returned the kiss. 'I was missing you something fierce, so I knew that if I woke up with you naked you would be in the mood for some loving, so you catered to me when you woke up.'

'Clever girl. What's on the menu?'

'Just a second.'

Lili went into the kitchen, leaving Cam to open the wine; she returned momentarily with a couple of their food-storage containers, along with a bag from The Salamander Bakery. 'We are having Cuban sandwiches, veggie slaw, plantain chips with sour cream and onion dip, mixed berry salad and sweet rolls from the bakery. For dessert, wine, and Salamander cupcakes.'

'Now I really love you.'

Cam poured them each a glass of wine as she took lids off of the containers; normally he preferred his Cuban sandwiches piping hot off the press but when the trade off was a cold sandwich for his very hot wife, he would eat them out of the freezer if necessary. Plus it was Rosalita's cooking so that was better than most people could ever dream of.

'Oh, wait, wait, I almost forgot.' Lili popped up, went to the television and pressed a few buttons. A few minutes later, _Harvest Moon_ the so-trashy-it-was-awesome werewolf movie they'd rented the night before, was playing its opening credits. 'Now we have our date-night picnic afternoon.'

'And the best part, the kids just aren't in bed, they are out having just as much fun as we are.' Cam picked up the wine he'd poured for Lili, passed it to her. 'Are they taking Max to the movies too? He's pretty little.'

'I honestly don't know, but I'm sure if they did, his siblings and his cousins would help him out. He's already crawling like a champ from what Mere says and she thinks he'll be an early walker like Tessi was.'

'I can see that, he's got three siblings he wants to keep up with, and he won't let being the baby stop him.'

'I sure as hell didn't,' Lili said with a smile. 'Of course a lot of the time it was the other way around, my mother would be telling me to take my brother to the park to get his nose out of a science book.'

'Javi as a science nerd? That's hard to buy.'

'He's always been into biology and ocean sciences, you know how much he loves _Shark Week_, and he didn't transform into Mister Smooth Latino Lover.

Cam laughed, then winced as he saw some busty coed on screen get torn to shreds by her werewolf boyfriend. 'Oo, that's gotta sting. Those prom pictures won't look so pretty now.'

'Always the nice guy sympathizer,' Lili laughed.

'I am a nice guy, who says nice guys can't have a bloody streak?'

'Well you are a soldier.'

Cam nodded, noting how she kept circlnig back to it; it was her MO when she said she was fine but inside she was still trying to get herself there. 'Lili, talk to me. I know you're not over that dream.'

'Yes I am,' she insisted and Cam just cocked his head to the side, gave her a look.

'Lucita Lourdes, like you said when we were in bed together, I know you. Talk to me.'

'I don't know, I just...my brain and my body knows that you're not going anywhere at the fact you did three tours with only a bad knee to show for it in terms of injuries is damn lucky. I thought after you came back and I was going to the army spouse support group that I dealt with it so I don't know why I keep having that dream.'

'You might not like this but maybe you should go to a shrink, or talk to Alexis. She's training to be a counselor, and she's a damn good listener.'

'Maybe. I'll think about it.'

As getting Lili to see even her regular doctor or dentist was more than a bit of an arm wrestle, Cam nodded and let it rest at that. 'That's all I'm asking. If you don't go for regular sessions, at the very least they can give you some tips on handling the after effects of it.'

'That's true too. Like I said, I'll think about it.'

'Okay.' He leaned over, gave her a kiss, then jutted his chin at her plate where she'd barely touched her food. 'You gonna eat that?'

'Of course.' Lili picked up, bit in with gusto. Sex, a heart-to-heart and good food with her man did indeed provide a good cure for lost sleep. She wiggled so her back was resting against the upright of the couch and laughed as she saw one of the smart girls in the film give her number to the ravenous werewolf in his human film. 'No, no, Dori, not him! Anyone but him!'

'But then it would a much shorter movie, wouldn't it?'

'Says you, they could have actually made it a better movie if she'd resisted him a little stronger.'

'But would it have made two hundred million plus at the box office?'

'Eat your sandwich.'


	11. Ryan & Honey Milk I

'Nurse Ryan, can you please-'

'No, sorry, I can't,' Honey-Milk replied with a firm tone.

'But, Jenny-'

'Whitney, tomorrow is my anniversary and I'm working nights so when I am off in-' Honey-Milk checked her watch '-eight minutes, I am going home to my very hot hubby and try and convince him to give me a back rub and maybe have sex with me after a bubble bath.'

'So that's a no?'

'That's a _hell _no. In the meantime, you have temperature and pulse updates to do, and I believe young mister Henson needs his dressing on his appendectomy changed.'

Honey-Milk knew it was probably muy-bad for her karma to gloat as Whitney all but stomped off to fulfill her reputation as the nasty nurse of pediatrics but also at the moment didn't really give a damn. She was going home to her husband who'd been in court that day and had picked up Dell and Mallory the moment he was finished and she would be home in time to tuck them into bed.

With barely four minutes to go now thanks to wasting the previous four listening to Whitney try to cajole her into overtime, Honey-Milk decided to call down to the pharmacy to ensure that the night-shift would not be going skeleton for the holiday weekend, and being put on hold ate up another two minutes. By the time her verification was done, it was two minutes past end of shift; Honey-Milk had never bolted for the staff locker rooms so quickly.

Once in her street clothes, work scrubs tucked into her bag for laundering at home, Honey-Milk caught the train to Fifty-First Street and decided to walk the last eight blocks home since it was such a gorgeous evening out. Dell was going back to school on Monday and Mallory would be in her last year at the daycare full time. Then she would switch to the after-school groups after attending kindergarten all day, where she would make new friends, have her own stories to tell. One more step to independence.

'God, please don't let my babies grow up so quickly, on me,' she murmured, casting a quick glance up to the perfectly clear blue sky. 'I like the age they are now.'

Still, she had to admit, she liked the fact they were now old enough to have sleepovers with friends so that when she and her husband wanted a date-night, they knew they didn't have to worry about the babies crying with a sitter or family member watching them. And then there were nights like tonight when she planned to seduce her husband in their marital bed and she didn't have to worry about them crying through the monitor for a midnight feeding.

And what a seduction she had in mind for her man - it was their anniversary night together after all, since she was starting nights the next day on their actual anniversary. Nine years married, eleven years together, and two beautiful babies; they had thriving careers and an extended family they adored, and so much love for each other there were times when Honey-Milk still couldn't believe that gorgeous Irish stud with the melting blue eyes had picked her.

She let herself into the building, took the stairs up to her floor and grinned when she smelled the scents of home - children, crayons, flowers; the last came from the bouquet of white and candy pink tulips on the table. Expensive since they were out of season but Ryan knew the importance of them for her.

'Hello? Anyone home?'

'Mama!'

There was the sound of scampering feet and she soon saw her prince and princess running towards her from Mallory's room - Dell with his father's blue eyes, Mallory with his nose and chin. They bracketed her with their hugs.

'Hello my mama!' Dell squeezed hard, made a little 'mm' sound. 'How was work today? Did you get to save anyone's life?'

'Anyone nee' a 'pation?' Mallory adding, eyes shining in curiosity.

'There was no emergencies I was in charge of today, Dell, and yes, Mally, there was a little boy who needed an operation.'

'Oh no, he okay? He 'faid? You tell him it okay, no be 'cared, I am a goo' nurse?'

Honey-Milk smiled at her daughter. However empathetic Dell was, no one she knew had the capacity for feeling like her Mallory Agatha. 'I told him it was going to be okay, and he was scared of the needles that had his medicine but I told him that my little boy had to have a needle every day for diabetes and he said he could be brave like that too.'

'I'm not brave, Mama,' Dell scoffed, sounding just like Ryan. 'I just make sure I stay healthy.'

'You buh-rave, Dell,' Mallory insisted. 'I 'faid of nee-dills, I can' do tha'.'

'Alright, you two where's your daddy?'

'He's having a nap, he said that court was a real mother today,' Dell replied, wrinkling his forehead in confusion. 'What's that mean, Mama?'

'That it was an incredibly tough day.'

'You moosh Daddy, Mama, make it bettah,' Mallory advised her. When she was feeling blue, a kiss from her mama always made her feel better. 'We have falalas fo' suppah tonigh'?'

'No, pepperoni pizza!'

'Peppi-oh-nees f'om piggies! Mama, I no wanna ea' piggies!'

'Oink, oink, whack!'

'Mama! Dell bein' nas'y!'

'Both of you know on Friday nights when we have pizza, we get three pizzas. One cheese, one meat and one veggie so Dell, stop tormenting your sister, and you,' Honey-Milk turned to Mallory, 'stop getting worked up over all meat-eaters teasing you or you won't survive at school.'

'Okay Mama. Daddy nee' his moosh.'

'Very well. You two head back to what you were doing.' She paused. 'What _were_ you doing?'

'Playing Monopoly Junior, Mama. I am teaching Mallory about money for when we have the welcome-back carnival next Friday.'

'I gonna puh-lay the fuh-roggie pon', Mama. I gonna win a 'tuff toy.'

'Good plan.' Honey-Milk toed off her sandals now that her children had released her from their double-stack hug, kissed both their heads. 'I want to go see Daddy so you guys keep playing your game, okay?'

Dell nodded; he was a smart boy and had heard from the other older boys at school that sometimes grown-ups liked to be alone so they could kiss and hug to show they loved each other. It made him feel all flush and squirmy to think of his parents all touchy like that, but at the same time, oddly proud because he knew many students who didn't have parents so in love like his.

He took his sister's hand, apologizing to her about the piggies-comment as they headed back to her room which had Honey-Milk shaking her head as she walked over to indulge herself in a sniff of her flowers before carefully opening the bedroom door where she wasn't at all surprised to see her beautiful man face down and snoring. He'd hung up his suit on the closet door and there were no words to describe how charming Honey-Milk found it that beneath his prim and proper court-testimony clothes he'd been wearing a pair of green silk boxers with the words 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' printing in gold all over in little speech bubbles.

Stripping off her top and crop pants, she carefully crawled into bed beside him, but the man slept light as a cat so the moment her fingertips touched the sheet, Ryan's eyes flew open and he was focusing on her with a sleepy smile.

'There's my queen,' he mumbled, lightly patted the pillow beside him. 'I'm so tired, baby.'

'I know, Kev. Dell said that court today was a real mother.'

'That boy's spending too much time at school,' he joked. 'But he's not wrong. This was a tough one. The Hatsu Li case.'

'Right.'

'Every day on that case has felt like a tennis game, Jenny, it's like whatever we present for the prosecution the defense can come back and twist it so we look like brutal American police picking on a little Japanese immigrant and making an example of him.'

'He murdered three people and served them as sushi to his Yakuza pals, how is that picking on him?'

'You got me.' Ryan rolled to his side, moved closer to his wife. She was his sanity on days like this, even more than seeing the innocent faces of his children. He bumped his forehead against hers, kissed her sweetly. 'Did I hear something about pigs and pizza?'

'What are we going to do about Mallory and her hypersensitivity over eating animals?'

'Give it time, sweetie. You know how ever much shit her brother gives her, next year when she starts at Saint Bartholemew's if anyone tries to say the same thing Dell will clean their clocks.'

'I know.'

'Speaking of clean...' Ryan gave her another kiss. 'I have a little surprise for you later, so once the kids are in bed, I want you to take a nice long hot bubble bath, so you come out of it all hot and foamy and pink.'

'A surprise?'

'Yes, a surprise.'


	12. Ryan & Honey Milk II

Honey-Milk fell asleep; she didn't realize it until she felt small fingers poking at her knee. She murmured, sighed as a little voice spoke to her so softly she couldn't tell which of her children was in the room.

'Mama?'

'Baby? Who's there?'

'Hi-hi, Mama, it Marsh-Mally. Daddy say it suppah-time.'

Mallory snuffled like a basset hound, making her mother laugh and wake up all the more. The little girl went to the side of the bed, picked up the shirt and cropped pants Honey-Milk had worn when she'd arrived home, then studied her mother. 'Mama?'

'Yes, Mallory.'

'I gonna miss Dell on Tues'ay. He goin' suh-chool 'gain.'

'Aw, sweetie, it's okay.' Honey-Milk patted the space on the bed beside her and Mallory climbed up. She leaned her little blonde head against her mother's arm. 'I'll miss him too, but I bet by the end of next week, you'll be asking me if the school can keep him overnight.'

'No.' She shook her head. 'Gonna miss 'im alla-time.'

'Okay baby.' Honey-Milk kissed her daughter's head. 'Right now, how about some pizza?'

'Okay.'

Hand in hand they went into the kitchen, where Ryan looked freshly showered and he was opening the lids of the pizza boxes while Dell was putting out the plates, cutlery, napkins. They moved so much like each other it was almost spooky, Honey-Milk thought, her men.

'Daddy! Dell! 'Noozin' Boo-tee here!' Mallory sang out and they looked over; for a moment, Honey-Milk felt everything slip away as her husband looked at her with such a look of love and want. She was brought back to earth when Dell came over and pulled Mallory away so Ryan could give his wife a hug.

'They need a minute for a hug and kiss, Mally,' he whispered gently, and the children watched with squirming tummies as their father pulled their mother in for an embrace, kissing her lips lightly. 'Okay Daddy, that's enough, it's time to eat.'

'Yes sir,' Ryan chuckled, and breathed deep the scent of Honey-Milk's hair. 'You looked so peaceful sleeping I didn't want to wake you. You had a long one today too Nurse Ryan, and I want you nice and awake for our surprise tonight.'

'Oh?'

'Mm-hmm.' Ryan leaned in, whispered in her ear, 'you won't be getting much sleep tonight anyways.'

'Oh, Detective, how you do go on.' Honey-Milk pecked his lips as need for him rose like a lovely ocean swell in her heart. She gave his bottom a little pat, then looked at Dell who was giving them the eagle eye. 'There, now it's time to eat.'

'Woo-hoo. Mama, Daddy got us diet root-beer.'

'Why it call roo'-beer?' Mallory asked as Ryan brought the platter of pizza slices to the table while Honey-Milk found drinks in the fridge.

'Because when it was first made, Mallory, it was flavoured with a root called sassy-rilla,' Dell replied knowledgeably. 'That's why it tastes the way it does, right Mama?'

'Something like that,' Honey-Milk agreed, then passed Mallory the plate of slices where she chose a vegetable one and a cheese one. 'You hungry baby?'

'Very hungry. My tummy hassa mons'er in it. A veggie-saurus.'

Honey-Milk and Ryan both held their breath, waited for Dell to make a typical eight-year-old boy's comeback but Dell smply swallowed his mouthful and asked her, 'Is it a brachiosaurus or a stegosaurus, Marsh-Mally?'

'I'unnno. What a backy-so-us?'

'They are the long-neck ones with their noses on their foreheads.' Dell patted his for good measure. 'Steggos are the ones with the plates up and down their backs.'

'Hmm. Whish one like pizza?'

'Both of them, as long as there is no meat just plants.'

'Hmm. My tummy mons'er a backy-so-us,' Mallory decided, then ripped into her slice of cheese pizza. 'Nommy-nommy,' she added as she chewed.

Ryan laughed as he watched his children get along over their pizza; dinner time had become slightly acrimonious of late owing to Mallory's determination to be a vegetarian like her daddy and Dell's equal determination to be a wonderfully average eight-year-old boy teasing his sister. That they could get along so sweetly and yet drive each other nuts was

Of course, they wouldn't be here without the most wonderful woman in the world, Ryan thought as he watched his wife across the table, gnawing her way through the deep-dish meat-lover's pizza and watching her drag the stuffed crust through a puddle of ranch dressing. Only her, he laughed, and remembered their wedding night had been takeout Italian then as well.

When the dishes had been cleaned up, the children had had their bath and been tucked in, Honey-Milk went into the living room and sighed as she flopped down on the couch. She closed her eyes, smiled when she felt Ryan lift up her feet and began to rub one of them.

'Oh yes, baby,' she sighed. 'Just like when I was knocked up.'

'I remember those nights. You were so turned inside out by your hormones you would yell at me just to yell then cry when I asked you if you felt better, and sometimes cry more when we made love. And considering the prizes are those two angels down the hall, it was worth every moment I felt like I was absolutely useless.'

'You weren't, believe me.'

'Do you remember our first night away from Dell?' Ryan asked her, switching to her other foot. 'He was about seven weeks old and Meredeth and Javi were barely engaged two weeks, and they'd volunteered to stay the night here.'

'Wow, that was nine years ago.'

'We stayed at that beautiful hotel, had a fun time in the jacuzzi as I recall.'

Honey-Milk giggled. 'I've never thought of bar soap in the same way.

Ryan grinned; he could not have asked for a better segue into his surprise for his wife. 'Wait here a moment.'

She sat up, watched him disappear from the room. Perhaps this was the wonderful surprise he'd promised her when she'd first arrived home. When he returned a few seconds later, she grinned, already starting to go to her happy place.

'Here. Happy anniversary,' he said, sitting beside her on the couch as he passed her the gift bag from The Martinique Boudoir, stroked her arm delicately.

'Oh, Kevin, I thought we agreed presents could wait until tomorrow, mostly because I have to pick yours up tomorrow,' Honey-Milk pouted, feeling guilty.

'Yes, but our sexy time is now, so open up, open up!'

Laughing, Honey-Milk tugged out the turquoise and white striped tissue paper from the bag, made a cooing noise at the first parcel she came to - jasmine scented bubble bath and body mousse, both of which contained iridescent shimmer. There was also a matching hand and body butter for when she was finished in the tub.

'Oh, Kev, this looks great, I can't wait to try it out.'

'Good because the second part of that bag is going to wait. Come with me.'

Ryan pulled her to her feet and giddy as a schoolboy led her to the bathroom, shoved it open and he watched his wife's eyes go round as saucers. He'd transformed the everyday bathroom into a private little spa: there was jasmine scented candles on the edge of the sink and in the corners of the bathtub ledge, giving off gentle light and fragrance, and the tub itself was filled with water emitting the same delicate scent. Chilling in a bucket was a bottle of blood orange Italian soda, Honey-Milk's favourite thing to drink on vacation, and he'd also put her iPod into the clock-speakers so that while she soaked, there would be the gentle sound of Peggy Lee jazz classics sending her to a happy place.

'Your towel is on the back of the door and you have strict orders to hang out here for at least a half an hour so that you can get all soft and floaty before I rock your world,' he told her, and she turned to him, gave him a long, slow kiss.

'I love you Kevin.'

'I love you too, Jenny.'

'Your towel is on the back of the door, and when you're dried off, I'm sure you can guess what the second part of your present is.' Ryan gave her one more kiss, squeezed her bottom in both of his hands. 'Have a cold drink, relax and then...the fun begins.'

'You don't want to watch me undress?' Honey-Milk asked him; he loved watching her strip down for the tub.

'Not yet, my love.'

Honey-Milk watched him close the door, then skinned down; the moment she was sunk into the water, she let out a low moan; the feel of the hot water against her tired muscles nearly made her orgasm right then and there. Reaching over the side of the tub, she opened the bottle of Italian soda and drank deeply. Her eye landed on the Martinique boudoir bag on the closed lid of the toilet and Honey-Milk gave a low chuckle.

'Kevin, you just might win hubby of the year tonight,' she murmured.


	13. Ryan & Honey Milk III

When her bath was done, Honey-Milk stepped out to find the towel on the back of the door, and wonder if maybe she should dry her hair. Half-way, she decided, and used the blow-dryer for only a few minutes so the worst of the water evaporated. With body and hair sufficiently taken care of, she reached into the bag and drew out a beautiful sheer peignoir that reached the entire way to the floor. It was the Martinique Boidoir signature turquoise, one of Honey-Milk's favourite colours in the world, and there was lace edging around the plunging neckline. She slipped it on, the chiffon-silk blend making her feel like a princess, then opened the door, went to knock on the closed bedroom door.

'Kevin, it's me,' she whispered, and felt all the spit in her mouth dry up when he opened the door in black pants and nothing else.

He took her hand, kissed the knuckles as he drew her in and watched her eyes go wide. While she'd been in the tub, he'd been hard at work in their room, lighting candles and putting silk sheets on their bed, scattering rose and tulip petals everywhere, lighting candles, chilling wine. From a small hidden stereo system came soft sweet piano music.

'It's...it's just like our room at the Shamrock,' Honey-Milk breathed, pressing her hands to her breasts.

'Our first night of our honeymoon,' Ryan added, as she looked around and he put his hands on her shoulders. 'You want to know something ironic?'

'Sure.'

'It's where I was planning to take you for our honeymoon anyways after I propose and thought we were going to have a little more planning time for our wedding.'

'Oh, Kevin.' Honey-Milk turned back to him, eyes threatening to spill over. 'I feel like I should have done my hair, my make-up.'

'No.' He shook his head in defiance. 'No, the point was that you would just be you, and I would just be me. Nothing super fancy done to ourselves minus a luxurious bath and a fancy nightie.'

'It's a peignoir.'

'Mmm, you know how I get when you sound French.' Ryan wrapped his arms around her waist, letting his hands slip over her body. 'You feel soft, just like my sexy wife.'

'How did I ever fall for such a Casanova?'

'Because I look hella-sexy with a weapon in my hand?'

'Or it could be because you're smart...' Honey-Milk gave him a kiss '...and funny...' she kissed him again '...and have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen.'

'No, that's you,' he replied with a smile, and kissed her, this time staying there. He stroked his hands down her back, pulling her close. 'Put your arms around me, Jenny.'

She did so, then let out a little 'oh!' as he literally swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed where he lowered her down with the care of a man seducing his virgin bride. There was such passion and tenderness in him, Honey-Milk mused, for a man who made his life's work catching criminals.

Ryan moved so they were kneeling together in the middle of the bed, kissing her lips lightly, letting his hands drift with a butterfly touch over her skin. His magic, he thought, his beautiful, doe-eyed magic. His hands rested on her shoulders, slipping the straps of the lingerie down her arms and he watched her eyes glimmer in the candlelight as she drew back, stood up to slip it the rest of the way off her body. Ryan rose to stand in front of her, slipped out of his black pants; he got his own little thrill - one of many tonight - when Honey-Milk's eyes went wide at the sight of him going commando beneath them.

'Hello, Detective,' she purred, not bothering to hide her appreciative gaze of his manhood.

Honey-Milk put her hands on his hips, pulled him tight against her body, her eyes traveling back up to his face; she tumbled them back to the bed and the weight of him on top of her, pushing her into the bed in all the right places. Her slim, short legs wrapped around his hips as she raised her arms above her head. 'Kev,' she murmured as his hands stroked over her breasts, fingertips brushing agsinst her nipples and teasing them into points for his tasting.

Ryan lowered his mouth to the seductive valley between her breasts, leaving slow, sticky kisses over their curve and swell until he reached the centre, making Honey-Milk writhe beneath him in pleasure. He felt the slick cradle of her thighs against him, making him harden against her and he groaned in light frustration.

'Do you feel what you do to me,' he sighed in her ear, moving back up her body. 'No one else does that to me, it's all you Jennifer.'

'Kevin.'

He watched her face as he stroked his hand down her body to where they were pressed against each other, slipped his fingers between her thighs to feel her, stroke her. Ryan loved the way she ground her palms against his back, the way her fingernails bit ever so slightly into his flesh while her walls clenched around him simultaneously. When he slipped one finger, two fingers inside her, he saw her eyes cloud over before they cleared and her hips arched up to meet him.

Honey-Milk put her hand on his cheek, drew him in for a kiss so that when he stroked her to flashpoint, the cry of ecstasy tumbling from her lips into his mouth. 'Inside me,' she said against his lips. 'I want you inside me, Kevin.'

Ryan nodded, positioned himself so he filled her, then hooked her knee over his hip once more. 'I want you on top of me, Jenny,' he replied in the same husky voice, and rolled so she was above him, her beautiful eyes looking down at him once more. His hands glued themselves to her hips as she set the pace, and Ryan let his head roll back against the pillows as the delicious friction of their moving bodies overtook him. 'God, Jenn,' he groaned, 'you're so good to me.'

'Open your eyes, Kevin. Look at me, I want to see you.'

Honey-Milk watched him, those gorgeous eyes like lasers staring right into her very soul; she took one of his hands, laid it between her breasts so he could feel her heartbeat sprinting against her ribs as she arched into his touch. 'Mo' cuishle,' she sighed, as the orgasm began to overtake every last fibre of her being.

'Mo' cuishle.' It was Ryan's last thought before he lost himself in the moment with her, as the English translation of the Gaelic words floated through his mind.

_My blood, my pulse. My heart_.

When every last drop had drained from her body, Honey-Milk slid bonelessly down to lay her brow against her husband's chest, humming contentedly. 'I remember our first night in Ireland being like that too. It's funny the things you think of right after sex, huh?

'The first time we were together, after we were done and drifting like this,' Ryan replied, pressing his palm between her shoulder blades, 'my first thought honestly was when will I get to do that again.'

'I couldn't believe you didn't tease me for wearing Big Bird panties.'

'I figured that was because you worked in pediatrics, if you lost your drawers it would be nicer than a thong bottom.'

'Speaking of thongs...' Honey-Milk gave his bare chest a kiss. 'You purposely skipped the panties for my lingerie, didn't you?'

'Maybe. They just get in the way most of the time.'

'Not tonight they won't.'

* * *

><p>'Shh, Mallory, we have to be quiet! Careful!'<p>

'I'm careful, Dell! You mean!'

'No, no fighting this morning, Mally, it's Mama and Daddy's special day.'

The sound of his children outside the door had Ryan waking, patting his wife's naked shoulder. 'Jenny,' his hissed, 'we need clothes, now.'

'Okay,' she hissed back and found the t-shirt and panties Ryan insisted she stash on her side of the bed. It proved to be a life saver, as the door swung open and Dell came in with a breakfast tray while Mallory had a bowl in her hands.

'Morning Mama and Daddy! Happy anniversary!' Dell declared, putting the tray on the bed. 'We made breakfast!'

'It no' fancy, but it yummy!' Mallory added.

'You made breakfast?' Intrigued and clothed, Ryan moved to the end of the bed to exam the tray's offerings - there was cold cereal in need of milk and a plate of toasting for sharing along with a small dish of butter and jam, and spoons. There was also two half-cups of milk and of juice, the former presumably for the cereal and the latter for drinking. 'This looks delicious you guys.'

'I have fuh-ruit salad.' Mallory put down the bowl beside the tray.

'Oh, I forgot the surprise! Mally, we need to get the surprise!'

Dell grabbed his sister's hand, all but dragging her out of the room, leaving Ryan and Honey-Milk to have a good laugh.

'Our kids brought us breakfast in bed, Jenny.'

'They did indeed.'


	14. Dandrea I

When Honey-Milk arrived on shift after giving her husband his fully restored first edition of _War of the Worlds_ for their anniversary, the last person she expected to see was Andrea in her street clothes.

'There's the anniversary girl!'

'What are you doing here?'

'Just finished up an on-call. I'm on home to my husband,' Andrea replied, rubbing the popped mound of her belly. It was somehow even more exciting to be pregnant a second time, because not only was Daniel right there to enjoy it with her but there was also their first baby to join in the fun. Of course, Nessa would be asleep when she got home, but Andrea loved that Nessa's first question when she woke up in the mornings these days was 'how bumpy Mama?'

Honey-Milk shook her head. 'Girl, you better not be giving that bumpy insomnia.'

'Nah, we're going home to sugar Daddy and then sleep it off with a great big nap.'

'That's my girl.'

Andrea was giggling about it the entire way home, and she knew she'd gotten some seriously odd looks from the other people on the subway but she didn't care. The only thing on her mind was getting home to her man and her daughter.

When she unlocked the apartment door, she wasn't at all surprised to see Daniel still on the couch, snoring away. He'd fallen asleep watching an old Mae West movie on TCM, and there was a half-eaten bowl of barbecue potato chips and half a glass of apple juice on the table beside him. Moving quietly, Andrea rounded the end of the couch and picked up his arm by the wrist so she could snuggle up against that solid body, let his limp hand drape over the round ball of her belly.

'It's okay, big guy, it's just me,' she murmured though she knew that her husband couldn't hear her. 'We're home, safe and sound.'

Andrea giggled when she felt the baby nudge-nudge against Daniel's hand, then heard him sigh deeply and draw her in tightly for a hug.

'Hey sexy lady, when did you get home?' he asked in a sleep-blurred voice.

'Just now. You were watching TCM?'

'Mae West Fest. _She Done Him Wrong _and _I'm No Angel_. No one tossed a look that could level a man like Amazing Mae. Except maybe you.' Daniel gave her cheek a kiss, then saw that she didn't hum and purr the way she usually did when he gave her such compliments. 'Andrea? What's wrong?'

'Why don't you want to fuck me anymore, Daniel? Are my hormones making me that intolerable?'

Daniel looked at her like she'd sprouted a third eye. 'What the hell are you talking about?'

'The last three times I've wanted to make love with you this week alone, you've brushed me off and that's not like us, we almost never turn each other down in bed, not with the 'I'm too tired' excuse and certainly not three times in a row. So I want to know why.'

'Andrea.' He said her name once, moved so they were sitting up together and he was holding her hand. 'Detail for me these three times in a row when I've turned you down.'

'Last Saturday after we got in from family fiesta night at Castle's loft, you were too tired. Two days later, when I got home from work, you were too tired and then yesterday when I woke up with you before you were on your way to work, you were too tired.'

'We've done it in between then, haven't we?'

It was the wrong thing to say, Daniel knew this the instant it was out of his mouth, as he saw Andrea's eyes well up and spill over like he'd flipped a switch.

'No, we haven't, Daniel. The last time you and I had sex was last Friday, after we had the night to ourselves when Nessa was having a sleepover at her grandmother's house. Am I that unmemorable in bed these days, or do you just

'Andrea, I'm sorry my darling, truly.' Daniel took her face in his hands, brushed his thumbs over her tears as they flowed out of her eyes. 'I didn't realize a week had gone so quickly. Not that I'm trying to make excuses, but I'd eaten a tonne of beans at Castle's and felt disgustingly gassy I was not feeling in the mood for it at all. The morning you were up with me, I'd slept through my alarm and I had a major surgery I could not be late for. And the time in between, I wasn't sure when you'd be home so I took care of it myself. You were home ten minutes after I finished and I was ready to just go to bed.'

'So you still want me?'

'Of course you crazy girl,' he laughed, and pulled her close and Daniel realized something that the doctor and Andrea had been telling him for weeks but hadn't really processed until now - while Andrea's weight gain wasn't the same as it was with Nessa, her hormones were worse and she'd been working even harder than with Nessa to keep herself on an even keel. Seeing her worry about whether or not he . 'I'm sorry I made you worry.'

'It's fine-'

'No, it's not fine, I have been treating you the same as I did with Nessa, but what you need this time around is different. So I need to adapt for the next four months. What can I do to make it up to you?'

'Food, a foot-rub and sex. Maybe toss in a nice hot bath too.'

'What kind of food? I was snacking and waiting for you to have dinner.'

'I don't care, but something that won't leave the kitchen a disaster zone like last night.'

'Done.' Daniel kissed her lips, then her brow, patted her knee. 'You wait right here.'

Since mobility was becoming an effort of late, Andrea stayed where she was and rubbed her hand over her tummy where the baby was awake and kicking. 'I know, baby,' she murmured, 'Mama's body is making her think and feel all sorts of silly things, but Daddy loves us so much. Thinking anything else is just silly.'

'Okay, we are going to have a verifiable feast from Gennaro's here in about an hour and a half. Friday night and all, they are hopping with people wanting sandwiches.' Daniel came back to the living room to inform her of this, then tugge on her hands. 'Now come with me.'

He pulled her down the hallway to the bathroom, where he ran the tub nice and warm for her. Daniel pulled off his shirt, unfastened the button and zip of his pants. 'Time to get naked, mama.'

'Daniel, it's okay, you don't have to do this,' Andrea protested, guilt over her outburst welling up. 'Appeasing your wife when your heart's not in it just makes your wife feel worse.'

'Hey, hey, look at me.' He took her hands, gave her arms a light shake before putting his finger under her chin and lifting her face to his. 'I love you Andrea, so much, you are my everything and there is no need to feel guilty over being hormonal while pregnant. Especially since Harvey said your hormones are swinging so rapidly.'

'I love you so much too, Daniel.'

'Here.'

Naked in front of her, Daniel kissed her once more; he took the edge of her top in his hands and slowly inched it up, gradually revealing bit by bit her soft, translucent skin, goldenly pale from their summer trips to the Hamptons with their extended family. He rubbed his hands over her shoulders, sliding the straps of her pregnancy bra down and reaching behind her to unsnap the clasp of it so her curves were bare and unadorned. Daniel stroked his hand over the swell of her breasts and belly, down to the waist of her drawstring skirt; he tugged the little strings so the fabric floated to the floor in an organic cotton halo at her feet, then drew down the silky panties that matched her bra so she was as naked as he was.

'There we are,' he murmured, looking at her with such wonder in his eyes that Andrea was surprised her heart simply didn't give out from the love she felt for her man, her one and only.

'What did I do to deserve you?'

'I ask myself that every day of you and our Nessa and this one too.' He put his hands on her burgeoning tummy, laughed when he felt the baby kicking. 'Yeah, I could never forget about you, tiny.'

'Is this your way of letting the water cool so we don't hard-boil the baby?' Andrea teased him, knowing full well what he was up to.

'Sit on the side, ease your way in.'Daniel stepped into the tub, sat down in the water, then held out his hand. 'And no, this is my way of getting my beautiful pregnant wife all hot.'

Andrea did so, fighting the urge to snap at him; he was only trying to be nice, thinking of her. She smiled at him, nestled herself against him. 'Well, so far, it's working.'


	15. Dandrea II

The water felt good for the body and the soul. Always the water, ever since she was a child it was part of her life, Andrea thought as she dipped her fingers in, traced doodles and swirling curlicues. Here she could let everything go, be weightless of burdens.

But not babies, she thought with a laugh, patting Daniel's knee. 'Look,' she whispered.

'What are...oh, hey, that is is neat. Look at it go!' he laughed, as the baby kicked inside Andrea and the movement cause little ripples in the water. 'I think we've got another scuba-diver in the family, Mama.'

'I think you're right, Daddy.'

'Mmm.' Daniel pressed his mouth to the back of Andrea's head, then scooped up water over her short cap of red hair. He missed her wild tangle of Medusa-like red curls but at the same time, he loved the feminine chop of this short cut, how he could easily slide his fingers through it, and more it showed off the fact she had very sexy shoulders. They were one of a woman's most unappreciated curves, in Daniel's opinion, and he kissed her right one gently now. He moved up and back, pressed his lips to the back of her neck, reached his hands around to cup her breasts. They'd changed after Nessa but they were still the feel and the taste of his Andrea. 'You feel so good, Andrea.'

Andrea closed her eyes, let her mind drift so the only thing she worried about was whether or not her Daniel would stop touching her like this. She tried to arch her back into it but the confines of the tub and her pregnant girth restricted her range of movement. Fortunately, there was nothing like a lover with perfect understanding of his partner's needs and Daniel most definitely understood her.

'Here, Andrea, let me,' he murmured into her ear, and stroked his hands over her body, thumbs brushing the tips of her breasts in such a way she gave a cry that was partly frustration but all pleasure. 'Move forward, onto your knees, my darling.'

She complied for him and braced her hands on the bottom of the tub, felt Daniel's all over her body, her aching back. He had wonderful hands, the kind could make her feel exactly what she needed - wanted - to in a single moment. Like now, when he braced them on her hips, slipped one beneath the bulge of her belly to find her and dip his fingers between her thighs. She sighed in what could only be described as relief, Daniel thought; as he stroked her, her sighs turned into pleasured moans and gasp, and he felt her clenching gently.

'My love,' he murmured, hardening at her body's response to his touch.

'Daniel,' she replied on a breathy sigh, 'please. Please.'

'Please what?'

'Inside.'

Daniel nodded, even though she couldn't see him, and pushed his fingertips back, slipped them inside her. Her groan of pleasure, pure and sweet, had him seeing stars behind his eyes when he closed them; she still had no idea the sounds she made when they were together like this made him feel like a god. Rather than making her try to rock against him as she loved to do, he drew them out slowly, slipped back in to create the delicious friction Andrea so desperately craved.

Andrea felt herself shudder, though she wasn't even close to orgasm yet; he always knew, she thought, how to touch her, so that any doubts or fears she had vanished like vapour. That kind of lover was rare and every day she counted herself blessed that she'd found one in the love of her life. The tremors of her body began to increase as he increased his speed and just when she felt the tension within her begin to coil up, she reached down and grabbed his wrist.

'Not like this, Daniel, I want you inside me.'

Understanding her perfectly, Daniel drew his hand back, used his knee to nudge her thighs apart ever so slightly and he filled her from behind so her belly - their unborn baby - was naturally supported by Andrea's legs as Daniel thrust his hips forward, filling her to the hilt and retreating slowly to set a deep grinding rhythm.

'Andrea, you feel amazing,' he told her, angling his torso forward to go deeper for her. 'So hot, baby, so hot.'

'Uh-huh,' was the only thing Andrea could manage to get out of her mouth coherently, as she felt the hot, hard length of her husband slide so gracefully in and out of her. She felt his hands - God, his hands - move over her body yet again, one to her shoulder, the other bracing on her hip as they moved together until she was sobbing out his name over and over again as she came, shuddering gloriously beneath his touch. Andrea closed her eyes as she did, letting sensation sweep her away, registering only the feel of the water, Daniel's skin on her skin, her own ragged breathing, and finally, his cry of release.

Spent, Daniel slipped out of Andrea, eased them back so they were sitting together with his arms around her shoulders, his lips against her temple while they tried to bring their heartrates back to normal without much success. The water lap-lap-lapped around them, sloshing against the ceramic of the bathtub.

'I love you,' Andrea murmured, 'and I'm sorry for saying you didn't want me anymore. You know I-'

'I know, and I'm sorry for not understanding what you meant by the change of your hormones,' Daniel replied, 'and I love you too.'

She closed her eyes, sighed contentedly. 'That was exactly the kind of preggo sex I've wanted all week with you.'

'And I believe a bath and lovemaking were only items one and two on your wish list.' Daniel reached over to the closed toilet lid where he'd left his watch, calculated. 'Gennaro's should be here in about fifty minutes-ish, so that means we have time for more pampering of the mama. Scooch forward.'

Daniel waited until she'd done so, then stepped out of the tub, pulled a towel out from the linen cabinet and rubbed himself down before laying down a second towel and helping Andrea out of the tub, wrapping a third towels around her body. 'There we are the goddess Aphrodemena.'

'Aphrodemena?' Andrea repeated, incredulation in her voice.

'Yes, an amalgamation of Aphrodite goddess of beauty and love, because well...' Daniel gave her a wink. 'Duh, obviously. Demeter for motherhood-' he gave her belly a loving rub '-and Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.'

'And you...you are Herpoleros. Hercules, Apollo and Eros. The hero, the golden boy and the lover.'

'Sounds about right. And nice job on the mythology references.'

'When you're constipated from pregnancy messing with your intestines, you go into the loo with a big-ass book and your Keaton anthology of Greek myths and legends weighs about two pounds so I figured if I was going to be there awhile it'd be nice to read something entertaining.'

'Are you okay now?' Daniel asked, alarm bells ringing in his mind. 'Do you need one of those laxatives?'

'No, but you need to unclench, because I'm fine,' Andrea laughed, putting a hand to Daniel's cheek, and walking into their bedroom to find pyjamas. 'It hasn't happened in over a month, I've been taking my vitamins and eating lots of fibre. Remember, I had that smoothie from Mere and she forgot to mention she'd added a fibre supplement, so I spent most of a Nessa-free night on the head?'

'Oh yeah.'

'Oh yeah is right, so don't worry about that part, sweetie.' She pulled her loose satin pyjamas - thank god for a girlfriend who was the same size as her in Meredeth - from her dresser drawer, found the adorable Paul Frank maternity panties then made a little pout face at Daniel. 'And I don't wanna talk about bowel movements right before we eat or right after having had that amazing bathtub sex.'

'Duly noted.'

'What did you even order for us?'

'It's a surprise. No, no not yet. Well, the panties if you like,' Daniel instructed her as she sat down and began to dress. 'but you can just wait a moment, missy. Lie down.'

He waited until she'd done so; once he was in sleep pants and a t-shirt himself, he found the tub of cocoa and shea butter lotion that he knew Andrea couldn't stand - too greasy, according to her - but she loved its scent and more, she knew how good it was for her skin while pregnant so he would take her request for a foot-rub a step further.

Dipping his fingers into the tub, and it really did feel like softened butter, he plopped a delicate blob on the middle of the belly that was wiggling and jiggling around. The sight of it made Daniel begin to sing softly.

'There was a hot lady who swallowed a fly. I don't know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she'll cry. There was a hot lady who swallowed a spider that wriggled jiggled and tickled inside'er,' he crooned softly to the belly and Andrea could only laugh, increasing the effect.

'Hear that, tiny, that's Daddy and there's a reason he's a nurse anesthetist and not a platinum record selling singer.'


	16. Dandrea III

Their timing was nearly perfect - by the time Daniel had finished massaging the lotion into her skin and he'd helped her into her pyjamas, their food had arrived and Andrea could feel the baby doing the double-kick that meant it was time to eat. She was just about to sit down when she heard her child moving around in bed. A quick glance at the clock on the microwave - just about midnight - meant that Nessa was more than likely having a bad dream. She was prone to them lately after just moving into her new big-girl bed on her second birthday in August.

Moving swiftly, Andrea shoved on the partially-closed door and saw Nessa sitting up in bed, whimpering pitifully and knuckling at her eyes, her stuffed dolphin on her little lap.

'Mama?' she sobbed, looking around though half-blinded by sleep. 'Mama?'

'Mama's here, Nessa.'

'Mama.' Nessa sniffled once, twice, as Andrea sat in the chair by Nessa's bed. 'I deamin'.'

'I know, sweet-pea.'

'Some-pin won' wit' bumpy.'

'Oh, Nessa, Nessa, it's okay.'

'Bumpy okay?'

Andrea nodded firmly, then thinking on it, stretched out on the floor of the nursery like she did when Nessa wanted a snuggle in her own room. Sure enough, Nessa climbed out of bed and fit herself against Andrea's body so her mother could hold her close. 'Your bumpy is just great. Remember? Doctor Harvey told us when we saw its picture a few days ago.'

'No hiccups?'

'No, but it was swimming a little while ago when Mama had a bath-time.'

Nessa's eyes filled up and she sat up like a little mummy. 'No! No go tub! No!'

'What's the matter with bath-time?'

'Bumpy fall ou'! I deam. No mo' bat-time,' she decided. 'Bumpy 'tay safe.'

'Oh, dear. Nessa, darling, the bumpy isn't going to fall out, I promise you.' Andrea put the pieces together, so she took her daughter's hand and pressed it to her large belly where the baby was kicking away impatiently for dinner. 'You feel that? What's that?'

'Bumpy goin' bump-bump-bump.'

'Exactly. Now if it had fallen out in the tub, which won't happen I promise, then we couldn't feel it going bump-bump-bump in here could we.'

'No.' Nessa shook her head. 'Bumpy 'tay safe. Mama?'

'Yes, Nessa.'

'We wash 'toons?'

'I'll ask Daddy, okay?'

'Ask Daddy what?' Daniel inquired from the doorway, where he'd been watching his favourite redheads. Both looked over at him and Andrea gave him a sympathetic smile.

'Daddy, wash toons?'

'She was having a nightmare that something was wrong with the baby,' Andrea explained and Daniel gave an exaggerated nod.

'It's okay to have a nightmare, it's how we handle things that scare us sometimes. Even I get them every now and then.'

'See-us-lee?' The idea her daddy could ever be scared had caught Nessa's attention. 'You 'faid, Daddy?'

'Oh of course, mamas and daddies get scared all the time. But nothing is going to happen to bumpy, sweet-pea,' Daniel reassured her, coming over to scoop her up for a hug. 'You know how I know that?'

'How?'

'Because Doctor Harvey would have found something and told us how to make it better already. Every time we've gone to have a check-up on the bumpy, he said it looks just great. But Mama just got home from work a little while ago, you know what bumpy is feeling right now?'

'Wha?'

'Hungry. So why don't you and I have a little cuddle while Mama has a snack.'

'Wash toons?'

'Sure, we can watch some toons.'

'Wan' _Nemo_.' Nessa stretched her neck up, looking over at her bed. 'Wan' Fippa.'

'You want _Nemo_ and Flipper, I think we can handle that.' Daniel bent his knees, grabbed the stuffed dolphin which Nessa hugged close, and took her into the living room, plunked her on the couch with her blanket, then went back to help Andrea off the floor. Not surprisingly, he found her still there, a hand pressed to her brow and the other on her belly as she murmured to it.

'That's your big sister, bumpy, and she loves you so much, she wants to make sure you are going to be here safe and sound. I know you will and so does Daddy but she's still little she needs lots of love and reassurance. Sound good?'

'Bumpy says that's a great plan, Mama.' Daniel walked over to help her to her feet, gave her a kiss. 'I was just thinking, how about I take my two best girls out tomorrow?'

'Really?'

'Yes. We both have the day off tomorrow, and I would like to spend it with a family day.'

'We're going shopping for baby clothes tomorrow, though.'

'And Nessa would love that, I'm sure. She loves bright colours and she's loved being involved with the nursery planning.'

'Okay. Nursery day it is. Alright, kiddo, we're going. Baby's hungry,' Andrea pouted, 'as is Mama.'

'Then let's get you some supper.'

They walked back out to find Nessa curled up on the couch cushion with the remote in her hand. Her little blue eyes were drooping and every so often as they just watched her, she jerked herself awake. 'Hey sweet-pea,' Andrea whispered to her, lifting her head so Nessa's rested on her knee. 'You waiting for us?'

'Wan' _Nemo_,' Nessa replied stubbornly, saw her daddy set a plate down on the table in front of Andrea and she sniffed. 'Oo, 'mell yummy, Mama.'

'It does smell yummy.'

'Okay, a few minutes and we'll have fishies, Nessa,' Daniel informed her as he sat down, bookending their daughter. He watched as Nessa turned, gave the belly a kiss and murmured 'love bumpy' to it, then rubbed her nose.

'Oushie! Bumpy kickin'!'

'Yeah, because I'm getting all happy about that sandwich,' Andrea murmured while Nessa flip-flopped over to rest with her father while the mama had her sandwich; it was a good one too. Mesquite turkey on toasted rye with shredded carrots, broccoli stems and red cabbage making a slaw over Swiss cheese and mayo, and oven-baked veggie chips on the side. Daniel had even gotten her a bottle of caffeine free root-beer and a Reed's spiced apple ginger beer too.

'Ssss, Mama, wash fishies!'

'Okay, baby.'

They'd made it to meeting Dory when Andrea heard the soft buzzing that was her daughter's snoring; she'd gotten that from Daniel no question. Rather than cart her off to bed right away, since it was possible Nessa would wake up again, he wrapped her up in her little throw blanket and rocked her gently in his arms. When she fussed only a moment, Daniel shushed her.

'Daddy?' she mumbled sleepily.

'It's okay, Daddy's here, Daddy's got you.'

'Daddy,' Nessa said again, and conked out once more, making Andrea giggle around her veggie chips.

'She's your girl, no question.'

'Stubborn and likes nap time uninterrupted, I'd say she is most-definitely my girl. Pass me a chip?'

Andrea held out her plate and he snagged a few, crunched while he watched the movie on screen. 'You know what I never understood about this?'

'What?'

'Well, the director is the voice of the turtle, Crush, and he took on that role because they couldn't find anyone to fit a spaced out hippie surfer.'

'Yeah, so? Lots of crew get cast like that in Pixar films.'

'My question is why didn't they ask Keanu Reeves?'

Andrea looked back at the screen, thought about it and gave a little laugh. 'That is a good question, Daniel. Never really thought about it.'

'Ssss,' Nessa mumbled again. 'Lou'.'

'Sorry, baby.' This time, Daniel stood up, took Nessa back to her room and gently tucked her in. When he put Flipper right by her arm, he heard her voice.

'Daddy?'

'Yes, Nessa.'

'Love you. Love Mama. Love bumpy.'

'We all love you too, sweet-pea.' Daniel kissed her brow. 'Time to sleep.'

'Moosh bumpy.'

'I will.'

'Pomis?'

'I promise.'

Daniel went back out to the kitchen, not at all surprised to see Andrea lying on her side on the couch with a blanket over the bump to keep herself warm, so he went to the counter to put his smoked beef on weck with spicy mustard and veggie chips on a plate. Rather than disturbing Andrea by lifting her feet, he sat down on the floor so he was near her head. Or rather, he would, once he'd done one thing.

'I'm still awake, you know,' she murmured as he knelt by her belly. 'What are you up to?'

'Keeping a promise to Nessa.' Danie leaned in, gave her tummy a kiss. 'There, you got your moosh from big sister, bumpy.'


	17. Newlyweds I

_Hello everyone! Once again I cannot tell you how excited I am to see that you are loving this series! In this chapter, I mention a few things about residency programs for being a doctor. I am not a doctor and whatever info there is on that topic I've blended between my imagination and some preliminary research. Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>'Doctor Weaver? Is this right?'<p>

Shane pulled himself out of his daydream to look at the way newbie Baccarin had made a biopsy of a liver to be tested. 'Yes that looks good, Nina.'

'Thinking about your wife?' Baccarin teased him, not surprised when Shane flushed a little. 'Is she coming into town or are you going to her?'

'Going to her, she's got midterms coming up.'

Baccarin nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself that it was weird he was married to a medical student. Instead she moved to pick up her pen, then stopped. 'Gloves off first, right, I remembered this time.'

'It seems like such a simple thing,' Shane laughed, 'but you know how many newbies forget that step? And it's almost more important here than a hospital since we have more laypeople in our work-spaces to keep things uncontaminated.'

'Like that one?'

Shane glanced over to where she pointed and saw Castle, looking more than a little frazzled. 'Hey Rick, what brings you this way?'

'Ice cream. Jojo's got more teeth coming in and since the doctor said she's clear to have dairy-free sherbet and gelato, I'm getting the hell out of the house.'

'So naturally you thought to chase ice-cream pick up with a stop at the morgue.'

'No, I thought I'd drop this off to you since I know you're going to see Alexis after work.' Castle held up a plastic bag with the Roscoe Sugar Shack logo on the side, its contents clearly three one-quart containers. 'Butterscotch ripple, bear claw, and tropical fruit salad.'

'Oh, you're a saint, bro, and I'll be a hero. She's got pharma-two coming up and then she'll be done with it until residency, which will make both our lives easier.'

'Why? Pharma's easy,' Baccarin piped up, then clamped her mouth shut when Shane leveled her with a look.

'Nina, what was your hardest course at med-school?'

'Osteopathics, I had trouble keeping all the names of the bones straight.'

'Exactly. Everyone has their thing and for Alexis it's pharmacology.'

Baccarin nodded, then went to pick up fresh gloves before going to finish getting her organ samples from their latest customer, giving Castle and his son-in-law a little privacy. 'How's the teaching going, doc?' he asked, and Shane tried for patience.

'It's going, it's just...slow. I'm trying to learn.'

'Isn't that Baccarin's job?'

'Yeah, about procedure and protocol. Mine is learning not to strangle her for making so many dumbass rookie mistakes over and over.'

'You know it's all about practice. Like sex, it isn't perfect or sparkling like in the movies the first time.'

Shane's initial response was to say _was for me and Lex_ but he knew better than to give Castle a coronary. Instead he went with, 'I get your point, but seriously, it's making me crazy. She's good with her knowledge base but the little things like remembering not to touch non-medical items while wearing your bloody gloves, that's basic.'

'So keep on her until she gets it right.'

'Doctor Weaver? These are ready for biopsy.' Baccarin gestured to the bowls, and Shane nodded.

'Good, biopsy and take it to the toxicologist in the lab, then scrub out. We're done for the day.'

'All set to go and see your little honey-bun?' This time the newbie couldn't keep the derision out of her voice and Shane watched Castle visibly bristle.

'Yes, Nina, I'm all set to go and see my _wife_, who also happens to be Castle's daughter.'

Baccarin looked at Castle and shrugged. 'Sorry, just thought-'

'I know what you thought, Nina,' Shane interrupted her. 'Go scrub out.'

She left and Castle let out a low whistle. 'Now I see the impatience. Dealing with her sneering at you and Alexis all the time can't be easy.'

'I'm not thinking about it right now, I'm scrubbing out, my bag is in my locker and my wife is waiting for me across the river.'

Castle grinned, loving how Shane's face lit up whenever he called Alexis his wife. 'Don't forget her ice cream.'

* * *

><p>Alexis finished putting the nice fresh duvet on her bed just as her roommate stuck her head in the door.<p>

'Hey, I'm off,' Lindsay told her. 'My cab's downstairs. Have a good time with your hubby.'

'Oh, there's no fear of that.' Alexis got a giddy little thrill, the same way she always did whenever anyone mentioned her husband. 'I haven't seen him in over a week, we'll be naked and happy before you even get to the train station. And there he is!'

'Hello?' Shane called out, using his key to the apartment and walking in. 'Where is my sexy little strawberry?'

'In the bedroom with Lindsay.'

'Girl on girl for my viewing pleasure? Best gift ever, baby.'

Alexis laughed, went out to greet him with a warm, sticky kiss. 'Keep it in your pants until Lindsay's gone, doctor.'

'Lindsay, time to say good-night,' Shane replied without taking his eyes off of Alexis, and Lindsay gave a little giggle.

'Don't have to tell me twice.'

The moment she was out the door, locks turned in the tumblers, Shane boosted Alexis up so her legs wrapped around his waist and he walked them to the bedroom. He flopped them down on the bed, Alexis laughing the entire time as he rooted at her throat; the feel of her and the scent of her made him so damn happy. But rather than undressing her, taking her there after a week of seeing her only on Skype and hearing her voice on the phone, he just wanted to be with her.

Alexis sighed in blissful contentment as she felt her husband's weight on her body. Of course she loved being naked with her husband, but she loved these moments too, these quiet interludes when they said nothing, just basked in being together.

'Is it naptime, my love?' she asked him, knowing that it was the one thing he couldn't stand the most out of her situation being in medical school two hours away. Shane missed sleeping beside her; even if they weren't cuddled up, he'd told her, he missed the feeling of waking up and rolling over in bed and having her an arm's length away.

'Oh yes, it's naptime, baby.' Shane repositioned himself so he was big spoon to her, found the light but warm quilt she loved and drew it up over their bodies. 'Long day.'

'Tell me about it.'

'I know, you're studying pretty much around the clock for-'

'No, I mean,' Alexis laughed, 'tell me about your long day. That's what the wife does right? Asks her husband how is day was?'

'God I love you.'

'I love you too. Now tell me about your day.'

Shane pressed a kissed to the curve of her neck, sighed as he recounted the body he'd tagged and on Pearlmutter's orders he'd taken Baccarin with him so she could observe him in the field, how he worked and analyzed a scene, made observations, interacted with the cops. He didn't bother keeping the derision out of his voice when he told her how Baccarin had been great in that respect, making notes and absorbing it all in, but once back in the lab the basic procedures things were still hard for her to manage and it was wearing on his nerves he kept having to remind her of things she should already know about.

'Well the same argument could be made about me,' Alexis said when he was finished spewing out his frustration.

'How so?'

'I'm going into psychiatry as my field, correct? And the major difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is the fact a psychiatrist can administer medication. Pharmaceuticals. I'm still struggling to make sure I keep my grades up in pharma and that's going to be a part of my job, possibly a big part of it. What if I screw up, dose someone with the wrong thing and lose my license?'

'That won't happen.'

'It happens all the time,' Alexis protested but Shane shook his head.

'It sounds silly but when you go into psychiatry, at least the colleagues I had from medical school, they didn't touch any kind of medication when they were first year interns, they didn't even talk about that until at least mid-way through their second year after they wrote their residency boards and they started working with a mentor.'

'Oh.'

'Lex, I'm going to tell you a secret I wish someone had told me when I was still in medical school.'

'What's that?'

'You aren't going to have all the answers as soon as you graduate. There is a reason you go into a residency, because you still have a lot to learn and you aren't going to be flung to the wolves the moment you set foot into your clinic.'

She let out a breath, turned to face him. 'God I love you.'

'I love you too.'


	18. Newlyweds II

Shane didn't realize he'd drifted off to sleep until he felt the butterfly touch of Alexis' lips against his. The best way a man could wake up, he thought, was to have the love of his life give him a kiss like he were Sleeping Beauty. Or would that make him Sleeping Handsome?

It didn't matter anyways, for his field of vision was full of his wife, blue eyes and creamy-rose skin. He tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear and dabbed his lips against hers. 'Hey sleepyhead,' she murmured softly. 'I've got a study group to get to, we'll be at the library until about nine.'

'What time is it now?'

'Just after five.'

'You eat yet?'

'Yeah, I finished my pita from lunch, and have some of Meredeth's muffins in my bag.' Alexis brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. 'Then I'm yours for the night.'

'Okay.'

She leaned in, gave him a kiss, then smiled when he pulled her tight. 'Don't do that.'

'Do what?'

'That thing you do that makes my brain fizz when I'm on my way out the door. The irony is, it's my sexual psychology group that is meeting tonight.'

'So...' Shane pursed his lips with a curious smile as he watched Alexis slip on her shoes, check her bag for her notes. 'You are going to be going to a library and talking about sex for three hours, then come home to me and try out your tricks?'

'Well, the chapters we're studying are the psychological ramifications sexual dysfunction.'

Alexis watched as Shane's interest dropped to zero. 'Still want to try that trick out?'

'Not at all. I'll be here when you get home.'

'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

><p>Despite knowing what she had waiting for her at home, Alexis was able to concentrate quite well on her group's work. The topic helped, as she wasn't fantasizing about what it would be like to try out some of the things they were discussing. As she had the fastest fingers of them all, she was taking dictation that she would send to the people in their study group so they essentially had a transcript of what they discussed aloud in addition to the notes they were reviewing.<p>

When it was almost nine o'clock and they were wrapping up their study time for the night, Alexis saw Paul Gaston purposefully hanging back and it made her neck itch. Paul was one of the guys at this school who thought because he was a blonde beach-hunk from California the girls should all be swooning and throwing themselves out of windows just for him to say hi to them. To Alexis, who had seen her fair share of jerky assholes, he was nothing more than irritating. But he was also brilliant and having him in the study group was a major plus so she tolerated him for his brain.

'I was surprised to see you here tonight, Lex,' Paul commented to her as he shouldered his laptop bag and they walked out of the group study rooms in the medical library. 'Thought you'd have blown us off since the hubby's in town.'

Alexis both swelled with pride and bristled at the way Paul called Shane 'the hubby' like he was a toy or a sweater. 'Shane's in town, I left him sleeping like an angel at home because he just finished a double before coming to see me.'

'That's so cute. So, you up for grabbing a slice of pizza with the rest of that crew or a drink or something?'

'Paul, come on, we've been through this. I'm a very happily married woman.'

'So was my mother and she regularly diddled the pool guy when my dad was away,' Paul replied with a smile that had something in Alexis' belly chilling. God he was creepy, she thought. 'And if you're so happily married, where is said hubby?'

She looked out the glass doors of the library entrance and grinned widely. 'That's where,' Alexis said, pointing to the bench where Shane was sitting with two bottled soft drinks. She bounded over to him, forgetting about Paul instantly and wrapping her arms around Shane as he stood up.

'You have no idea how glad I am to see you,' she told him in exhilaration. 'Let's get out of here.'

'You okay, Lex?'

'Yeah, just wanna get away from him.' Alexis jerked her head in the direction of the library. 'Paul Gaston, thinks he's such a big shot because he's a California boy and doesn't want to think that any woman could be uninterested in him. Which I most definitely am.'

'Even if you and I weren't deliriously in love, I'd still caution you away from him, Lex,' Shane agreed. 'Something about the way he looked at you, it's just disgusting, like you were a piece of meat for his tasting and you had no right to say no.'

'Jesus that's a nasty thought.' She shuddered delicately. 'And not how I want to spend my time with you. So, cheer us both up, tell a joke, make a fart noise with your armpit. Dad still hasn't forgiven you teaching that one to RJ.'

'Trying it out at home?'

'All the time. Mom thought Jojo had gas for like a week until she realized it was her son making the noises.'

'Well, luckily for you, the only noise that comes from my armpits is silence.' Shane paused, frowned. 'That sounded better before I said it out loud.'

'It's a distraction so keep going.'

'How about I tell you instead there is a surprise waiting for you at the apartment?'

'A surprise?'

'Yes, one I know you'll appreciate.'

When they arrived at Alexis' student flat, Shane made a show of opening the door with a flourish. 'Ta-da.'

'Oh Shane, look at this!'

Alexis grinned like a fool as she looked at the little romantic set-up of her kitchen table - he'd added a table cloth and a silk flower to a waterbottle vase, put a bottle of white wine to chill in a Tupper-ware bucket and set the table with the plate-ware that was actually quite spiffy for student living. Music drifted on the air, jazz piano that Alexis didn't recognize and the room smelled wonderfully of barbecue.

'I used Lindsay's Foreman grill for some homemade burgers, along with spinach salad and roasted sweet potato. Good food, the kind you can use for leftovers while studying later.'

'Nope, I'm done for the night, I need a brain-break. Feed me.'

Though the fair wasn't gourmet, it had been prepared out of thoughtfulness and love, which made it taste like filet mignon with truffle fries to Alexis, and if they happened to have dessert of frozen yogurt with chocolate sauce, and that chocolate sauce made it into their bed for foreplay, that was even better. The conversation was light, about the outside world so that she wouldn't have to think about anything but just spending time with her husband.

'How did I get so lucky to find a man who understands me so well, what I need and when its what I need,' she murmured as they lay cuddling in bed together, the chocolate sauce on the bedside table just in case as Alexis kissed her husband.

'Same way I got a woman who understands the strain and stress of a law enforcement agent who works shift work.' Shane kissed her back, let his hand drift down to cup her breast. 'Because the universe knew we were just the right fit for each other.'

'Such a charmer.'

'Yes, yes I am.'

Rolling on top of her, Shane kissed her again, then thumped his forehead on the pillow by her shoulder as her phone rang. 'See who it is first.'

'Yeah, yeah. Alexis saw it was simply a blocked number and prepared her standard piss-off to telemarketers speech in her head as she picked up. 'Hello?'

'Hello, is this Alexis Weaver?'

'Yes, can I ask who is speaking?'

'My name is Doctor Sarah Brewster, I'm a trauma specialist at the Princetonn Regional Health Centre. I'm calling on behalf of Miss Lindsay Sabern, you're listed on her information as her local emergency contact person.'

'Yes, is everything okay?'

'I'm afraid I have to inform you that Miss Sabern was sexually assaulted tonight.'

Alexis sat up, effectively tossing Shane to his side of the bed. 'Oh my god, where is she now, can I speak with her?'

'I'm afraid she is under sedation right now so the doctors can examine her but before we medicated her she asked me to contact you.'

'Okay, we'll be right there.'

'Alexis, what happened,' Shane asked in all seriousness as she hung up.

'Someone...someone assaulted Lindsay. Sexually. That means rape. She was raped, Shane.' Alexis looked at him with glassy eyes, dark and wide and he immediately pulled her in for a reassuring hug.

'We'll get dressed, go and see her right away. Where is she being treated?'


	19. Newlyweds III

_Hello all. So I know this was a different twist on the whole idea of date night, but I wanted to take a different approach that showed this newlywed couple arent' just about sexing each other up, they truly love each other and their friends. Next chapter we're back to the usual mbg date-night fare!_

* * *

><p>Alexis marched into the ER reception at the medical centre, demanded to know where Lindsay Sabern was being treated; she and Shane were shown into a small trauma room where Lindsay lay on a gurney. Her face was a motley assortment of bruises, and her lip was split, taped up, as were three fingers on her right hand.<p>

'Oh, God, Lindsay! What happened?'

Lindsay turned to look at her roommate and her green eyes filled, spilled over. 'Lex,' she sobbed, her body shaking.

'It's okay, honey, it's okay.' Alexis came over and held her hand lightly, crying in sympathy. 'Tell me what happened.

'I'd just gotten off the train and I thought, Giacamo's is close by, I can order a pizza and wait for a cab there. It's safe and well-lit, and then this guy from our sex-psych class came in around nine-thirty, so we got to chatting and he started saying how we should share the pizza together in his apartment and I said dream on, I'm going home, but he didn't seem to get the hint.'

Lindsay paused, closed her eyes. 'It...it was like talking to a robot, I kept saying no, and he ignored it. I got my pizza and figured I can walk a block and a half back to the train station, get a pizza there. The next thing I know, I'm face first on the pavement, pizza's airborne and my knee and face are hurting like a bitch.'

'I should go,' Shane said softly, his eyebrows winging up when Lindsay shook her head.

'No, Shane, it's okay. I want you to hear this.'

'Lindsay,' Alexis started but Lindsay shook her head again.

'I have to finish, I have to get it out.'

She took a breath, looked up at the ceiling as she recounted the events one more time. 'I started yelling, anything that would get someone's attention. The guy flipped me onto my back, and my head's ringing but I can see exactly who it is, and he's got his weight on me, his hand on my mouth. He said...God, he said to me he knew I wanted it and he was just helping mother nature along. And...and then...he...'

'It's okay, Lindsay,' Alexis murmured. 'What about the cops, did they have anything?'

'They did.' Lindsay sighed, plucked at her hospital gown. Though she didn't want Shane out of the room - she knew he was a good man, not like the animal that had hurt her - she couldn't look at him when she talked to him just yet. 'The manager of Giacamo's saw him follow me out and when they heard me yelling from the parking lot, he called the cops and got his buddy to come out to see what the problem was. His pal pulled the guy off of me and the manager stayed with me until the cops and the medics got there.'

Alexis nodded, still holding her hand and looked at her, as the words burned on her tongue and in her belly. 'Do you know who?'

'Paul.'

'Paul?' Shane repeated, not liking the look that passed between the two girls.

'Paul Gaston, in our sexual psych class. Always thinks he's the goddamn cock of the walk. There was a rumour that went around he was responsible for four girls being date raped when he was at Berkley.'

The doctor came into the room, looked at them both. 'Missus Weaver? I'm Doctor Brewster, we spoke on the phone.'

'How is she, medically speaking?'

'There's no HIV or pregnancy but her attacker gave her a nice bout of syphilis since he didn't suit up for his attack.' Brewster looked at Lindsay, who looked even more devastated than before. 'The good news is that it'll be cleared right up with some penicillin, and more importantly, the attack hasn't affected your ability to conceive children.'

'Good. I've always wanted to be a mom, but...now...' Lindsay trailed off as Alexis covered her hand.

'Don't think about those things now. Just concentrate on getting some rest and getting your body nice and healthy.'

'What did I do?' Lindsay asked, weeping even harder now. 'I didn't deserve this, what did I do?'

'I...I don't have an answer for that,' Alexis replied. 'What I do know is that you are strong and you will get through this. Is she okay to go home, Doctor?'

'She should be in an hour or so. We want to get one more blood test done and make sure the penicillin is working for the STD.'

'I'll head home, make sure everything is neat and tidy,' Shane offered, then looked at Lindsay. 'Or I can stay at a hotel for the night, if you don't want any male presence around.'

'No, Shane, I'd feel better if you were there. Make me feel...protected, I guess.'

'I understand. I'm still going home to make sure everything there is tidied up for you, Lindsay. Do you want any ice cream, a tub of cookie dough, maybe a bottle of Scotch?'

'I'll be okay.'

Alexis looked at her husband, angled herself so Lindsay wouldn't see her mouth _ice cream, cherry-chocolate chip_; it was Lindsay's go-to food after a trying day when she was ready for a snack. 'He'll take care of it, Lindsay.'

'You got yourself a good one, Lex.'

* * *

><p>Shane had just finished his fussing around and was reading in bed when he heard Alexis walk in with Lindsay, getting her a glass of water to take her pills - the STD drugs and the sleeping pill Brewster had prescribed in order to help her get some sleep. When she'd helped her friend into bed, Alexis came into her room with Shane, shut the door. She just looked at him sitting on the bed and watching her, and crumbled. She pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the noise of her sobs but the tears that poured out of shock and anger and upset for her friend were hot and bright.<p>

Shane had her in his arms in seconds, cradling her against his body as they sat down on the bed. 'It'll be okay, Lex. It'll work out, the cops caught the guy and Lindsay was sent home the same night she was admitted and treated. That's a sign of how strong she is.'

'It could have been me.'

'I know,' he agreed, the weight of that sitting heavy on his heart.

'If you hadn't been outside the library, it could have been me he...who got...'

'And if it had been you, they'd never have found his body,' Shane reminded her, making Alexis laugh, lean heavily against him.

'I can't imagine how scared she was, how alone she must have felt.'

'I don't understand men like that,' he replied. 'Women are not our playthings or our pets we can train to obey on command.'

'Promise me something.'

'Of course.'

Alexis turned to him, blue eyes dark with the weight of her words. 'Promise me that will never happen to me. Even if it's an empty promise just to make me feel bettter.'

'I won't make an empty promise to you Lex.' Shane picked up her left hand in his, linked their fingers so their wedding rings clinked together. 'What I will do is show you that I will never do to you what Paul did to Lindsay.'

He stood up, pulling Alexis with him and they began to carefully undress each other, as if it was their first time. Once naked, they lay together on the bed, hands touching and caressing, lips seeking and tasting but not taking; they gave each other the reassurance they both craved after such a night.

Shane looked at Alexis' face as he touched her body, pleasuring her so she closed her eyes, let her mouth go lax as her brain switched off so she could only feel. This was how a woman was supposed to be treated, he thought, and he gently parted her thighs to sink himself between them, creating a rhythm for them both that let them make love not just with each other but to each other in a celebration of their union. It was as if they wanted to offer an apology to the universe that had treated Lindsay so cruelly and blessed them so greatly. When they came, first one, then the other, their cries of passion were muted by one another's mouths, taking it into their bodies.

Finished, they lay together with such love for one another they didn't need to say a word. They just stayed there, joined and intertwined in profound gratitude for each other. Then they heard it - Lindsay's whimpering and stressing from the next room, which had them getting up and dressing; Shane went to the kitchen to put on tea while Alexis went into her friend's room to try and soothe her, tell her the nightmare was gone and that she was here, that the asshole who did this to her was not going to win. Lindsay had wept like a child as she'd hugged Alexis, and Shane said nothing when Lindsay went into Alexis' room, curled up into a ball where Shane usually slept.

He had no problem staying on the couch for a night.


	20. Gil & Robina I

Cards night was a long-standing tradition for the men of the Twelfth Precinct, but where they had started out as moments for men to be men and discuss the stereotypical things like chicks, sports and cars over five-card stud, now they were filled with letting the daddies be daddies bragging about their kids and red-hot baby-mamas over Texas Hold'Em.

This particular night was no different in Gil Mazzara's mind - there was a newlywed, a new father-in-law, a daddy of four, and daddy of two all giving him righteous shit because he himself was about to be a newlywed for the second time to the same woman; he complexity of it had the rest of them scratching their heads.

'Why didn't you guys just do this when Kelley was a baby?' Esposito asked, reaching for a fresh beer as Castle shuffled the cards. 'You know, back when RJ and Mally were both foetuses and you had that nice ceremony?'

'We're keeping the date the same,' Gil pointed out, 'this is just adding the paperwork. We're going to the courthouse on the seventeenth and that night there is going to be one hell of a party.'

'Is Robina going to wear her dress again?' Shane asked, thinking about how much fun it would be to see Alexis in her wedding dress once more.'

'No, we're just going to wear nice family portrait type clothes. TJ's relieved because then he doesn't have to wear a tie.'

'What thirteen year old does?'

'Best part,' Gil said to Esposito, 'is Ike and Carol will be in town for the party.'

'Nice. I miss him,' the handsome detective sighed. 'Why did Carol have to get that superintendent's position in White Plains?'

'Because she's a good teacher and they want her helping to improve public education in the great state of New York,' Ryan reminded them. 'And a good teacher is hard to come by these days. Makes me thankful for Missus Bronson, Dell's teacher, she's amazing with the kids and especially handling Dell with his diabetes.'

'What about Mally?' Castle inquired.

'Oh, she'll have Miss Steful, same teacher Dell had for kindergarten. Now enough daddy-talk,' Ryan said. 'I wanna hear about the wedding.'

'Guys, look it's not that big of a deal.'

'Then why is Robina making Meredeth and I get a new dress and suit?'

'Because Robina's a fashion whore and loves any chance to play dress-up,' Gil replied about the love of his life.

'Which reminds me, you got the day off the roll tomorrow, you coming with me to the tailor's?' Castle asked Esposito, and to his surprise he shook his head.

'Listen you're going to have to take this one on your own tomorrow,' Esposito said with a small edge in his voice, the kind only a best friend friend like Ryan would notice. 'I have a meeting tomorrow with a specialist.'

'A specialist?' Now Ryan was genuinely worried. Visions of cancer or heart-problems were dancing in his head. 'What kind?'

'A urologist, to get a...procedure done.'

'What sort of procedure?'

'I'm getting clipped,' he said shortly, held his breath for the barrage of neutered jokes he knew would come his way, especially from his partner; Gil was right there with him. After all the shit Esposito had doled out to his partner when Ryan had first started dating Honey-Milk, then when his wife had been pregnant how he'd been the epitomy of the anxious first-time daddy, everyone knew Esposito's time had come to bear up under his friends' teasing.

When no-one said anything, Esposito glanced around at the rest of the men at the table. 'What, no comment from the peanut gallery?'

'No.' Castle shook his head, as did the others.

'Why?'

'Because it's a very personal thing you're having done and you're showing your commitment to your wife by doing it?' Gil pointed out.

'Would you do it if Honey-Milk asked you to, Kev?'

'I already did.'

Now Esposito shifted in his seat, looked at his partner in disbelief. 'Seriously bro?'

'Yeah. After Mallory turned two, I told you I was taking a week off with my family, I just left out the part where I was getting a little medical procedure done, that's all.'

'Wow. You're weren't freaked out by it?'

'Well, sure, but you gotta think of the alternative for your wife.'

Esposito nodded. 'I don't want Mere having surgery again when there's a safer option.'

'There you go.' Gil gestured widely, asked the question he knew most men thought of when this subject came up. 'What, you think you're not going to be a man in her eyes, or be any less of a cop for that matter?'

'No, just...I know neither of us want anymore children, we knew that number four is the last one. It's the whole idea that I can't have anymore that's screwing with my head, I guess. No pun intended.'

'That's gross.' But Ryan knew if the man coudl make jokes that vulgar about it he wasn't as disturbed by it as he could be. 'I promise when it happens, no Javi Soprano jokes.'

'Thanks.'

Esposito looked at Gil. 'Any thoughts bro?'

'I think you love Meredeth and your children more than anything in the world and however uncomfortable you are with the idea of it, I know you'll do the manly thing.'

Gil wished he had more to say to make his friend more at ease; fortunately Castle was there with a dirty joke to break the mood back to laughs.

'Well I think it's time to order some pizza. Javi, you want sausage on yours?' Castle asked him and got a punch in the arm for his troubles. 'That's the only one, I swear.'

* * *

><p>When he made it home, Gil wasn't surprised to hear TJ still awake and chatting with someone on Skype. A girl someone, it seemed, from the melodic sound of the voice through the computer speakers.<p>

'I gotta go, Kari, my dad's home. Okay, yeah, bye.'

'That the girlfriend, my main man?' Gil asked and TJ's pale cheeks went rose red.

'No, she's just a friend. Do we have any chips?'

Gil snorted. 'I was at work until eight and I went right to Castle's, Theodore. How the hell would I know? Where's Mom and Kelley?''

'Both in bed. Oh, sweet!' TJ's perusal of the cupboards turned up the salty crunchy snack he craved. 'Blecch, salt and vinegar. Meh, it's chips.'

'You enjoy.'

Gil headed upstairs to his bedroom, with a short pit stop to check on Kelley; sure enough his precious little gem was sprawled face first on her bed, mouth open and snoring like a champ. 'Just like your mama, Kell-bell,' he murmured with a quick stroke of his hand over her black-and-blonde hair. 'Daddy loves you so much, sweetheart.'

'Daddy love,' she mumbled in her sleep, then snorted.

'Sleep tight, honey.'

Gil left her in favour of the other beautiful lady in his life and found her in bed, reading, which always made him laugh. 'Don't you do that enough at work, sweetie?' he asked her, a little bit to bug her but mostly to catch her off guard so he could see that bright, sunny smile she always had for him when he came home safe.

'Hey baby, how was poker night?'

'It was definitely a guys' night.' Gil tugged off his tie, began to disassemble his belt and stow his service pistol in his gun safe. 'You can't tell anyone this, especially Meredeth that I know, but-'

'About Javi going to the doctor's?' Robina finished, bookmarking her page and sitting up to talk with her husband. 'Meredeth already told me. Women talk too, you know.'

'I just felt so awful because I have no idea what it's like to voluntarily go through that kind of thing. He's one of my oldest friends from the force, we were rookies together, you know?'

'I know. Mere and I have been together for awhile too.' Robina slipped out of bed as Gil unbuttoned his shirt, wrapped her arms around him from behind. 'You smell like you.'

'Better than smelling like another woman, I suppose.'

'No, I mean, you smell like you, all good and yummy and stuff.' She snuffled at his throat, making him laugh. 'But you will never guess what I did for us tomorrow night.'

'What?'

'Nope, gotta guess.'

'How about I do this-' Gil turned around, pressed a kiss to his wife's lips '-and you tell me now, then I follow through on that kiss?'

'Follow through on that kiss and I'll tell you.'

He saw the challenge in her sparkling grey eyes, so he stroked his wide hands down her back, gripped her bottom in two handfuls and boosted her up to carry her the two feet to the bed. He plunked them both down so she was pinned under him, her little wriggles getting his blood going.

'Deal.'


	21. Gil & Robina II

Robina knew it was a bit of a shitty thing to do to her thirteen year-old son with his thriving social life but the look on her husband's face the night before when he'd come home so turned around about being supportive of his friend pushed her into action.

Thus when she woke Saturday morning she didn't bother waking Gil up since he was obviously exhausted from a long week at work and neither of her children were the early bird she was, Robina wasn't concerned about the amount of noise she made in the kitchen. She knew the weaknesses of all her family when she wanted them to do something for her. With her prince turning into a young man, it was straight through the stomach - just like Gil, TJ had a weakness for pancakes. Not simply plain pancakes either, he loved the designer kind full of chocolate or cheese or fruit. But Robina knew her baby boy as only a mother could and went for the kill-shot.

Ten minutes later, TJ had followed his nose down to the kitchen and was scratching his belly as he yawned. Robina wondered if he knew just how much he'd picked up from Gil though they were not biologically related.

'Something smells good,' he said sleepily, going for the cupboard to get a glass for juice. 'You making a full English, Mom?'

'No, just a little something for you and me, since we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together lately. I've had a lot of deals on the go and I like to make sure I take time for my boy.'

'Cool. Juice?'

'Love some.'

Robina flipped the pancakes onto two plates, brought them to the table along with the fixings. She unfolded her napkin, watched TJ pick up the jar of lingonberry jam and the creme fraiche, slathered generous portions onto his cakes. He gave a little sigh of enjoyment.

'So good, Mom.'

'Good, I was worried I'd goofed on the baking soda and-'

'What do you want?'

'What?'

TJ gave his mother a look. 'Mom, it's nine am on a Saturday and you got your ass up to make me pancakes?'

'That's one, TJ,' Robina told him; thanks to hockey, the boy had developed a light swearing habit and Robina had told him he got five a day before he had to put a dollar of his allowance into the swear jar. 'And why should I want something?'

'Because the last time you made me pancakes on a Saturday morning you wanted me to babysit for Kelley, oh Mom, no!' TJ screwed up his face in understanding and disgust. 'Come on, it's Saturday, there's a bunch of people who want to go to the movies, and Kari said she wanted me to buy her popcorn!'

'I know, TJ, you have your friends and your girlfriend so I will make you a deal. You babysit Kelley tonight and you can have Kari over for a date next Friday night. Your father and I will be here, but I'll make arrangements for Kelley to have a sleepover at a friend's so you and Kari can have some privacy.'

'Where are you and Dad going?'

'It's a surprise,' Robina replied, cutting into her own pancakes. 'Not that I don't trust you, but it's a grown-up thing.'

'Sex thing,' TJ muttered, turning the same shade as the jam on his pancakes, and Robina laughed.

'No, TJ, not a sex thing.' _Though that's where the night will end when you're sound asleep_, she added silently. 'Just that not all plans of adults are meant to be shared with their children.'

'Sex thing. If I give Kelley a bath, do I get to rent an R-rate movie to watch with Kari?'

'R-rated movie? Are we talking sex, violence or language?'

'I was hoping we could watch _Pulp Fiction_. I heard some of the guys on the hockey team talking about it.'

'That's fine. You give Kelley a bath, you get to watch _Pulp Fiction_.'

TJ grinned, shoveled in more pancakes. 'What do I get if I play Barbies with her?'

'A big hug,' Robina replied. 'My son the Shylock, always working an angle. Eat your pancakes.'

* * *

><p>'Daddy, wake up!'<p>

'What is it, Kelley?' Gil groaned, saw Kelley bouncing up and down on the bed where her mother would normally sleep.

'Mama says it's lunchtime and she is going to surprise you with something.'

'Is it Ritalin for you?' He grabbed her around the waist as he sat up, tickling her ribs and making her shriek like a banshee.

'Ah, no! No! No! Daddy, knock it off!' Kelley squealed in breathless delight. 'We're wasting surprise time!'

'Okay then. Let's go find out.'

Holding Kelley's hand, Gil let the girl tug him towards the stairs and he found TJ and Robina in the kitchen with one of Gil's favourites - lasagne. Rain or shine, summer or winter, lasagne never failed to make him feel at his most zen state. The casserole of it was on the table along with a basket of rolls and the syrupy-sweet lunchtime wine they occasionally let the kids have a sip of. Robina had been a little freaked at first by the idea of it, but when they'd all gone to Rome in the summertime to visit Gil's family and she'd seen children as little as two have a sip of their father's beer or mother's wine and so she'd relented.

'Smells good, baby,' Gil said, giving Robina a kiss and eliciting groans from both their children. 'TJ, seriously? You're thirteen and you have a girlfriend.'

'I don't!' But TJ knew his protest was just for form's sake. 'Mom, tell him the surprise already.'

'Yes, tell me this surprise, since you didn't last night like you said you would,' Gil implored her and Robina relented.

'Fine. We are going to see the Marlins-Mets game tonight from box-seats behind home plate at Shea Stadium tonight.'

Gil's hand paused on the lift dug deep into the lasagne dish and he looked at his wife with questioning hope. 'Don't toy with me, Robina Mae.'

'It's true. As a thank-you for the deal I brokered with Moses Zeffirelli on his book's manuscript, he let me have use of his partner's box tonight. It's catered and it includes private mini bar as well. And the best part, it's going to be just us. No other people in the box, you and me only.'

'Really.' Gil caught the sparkle in her eyes, the subtle flick of the brow. 'That does sound like fun.'

'But aren't games more fun when you have more people to play with?' Kelley asked with the innocence of a child, and TJ rolled his eyes - a common reaction to most everything these days - and hoped he didn't embarrass his six year old sister.

'Sometimes adults like to have alone time when they go out, Kell-Bell.'

'Oh.' Kelley frowned at her lasagne, then scoop some up. 'I still think it'd be more fun with more people.'

'Well you and me will have fun just the two of us tonight,' TJ said, understanding he had his responsibilities to fulfill as the big brother. 'We're going to play _Dance Party Six_ tonight, and maybe watch the _Aladdin_ movies too.'

'With popcorn and Seven-Up?'

'Sure. But only one Seven-Up or you'll be bouncing off the walls.'

Gil laughed as he listened to his children; they sounded like their own version of an old married couple. Or perhaps Penny and Sheldon from _The Big Bang Theory_ minus the uber-nerd science speak. 'That's nice of you to volunteer for babysitting your sister, TJ.'

'Right, volunteering. No sweat, Dad,' he replied, eyes flicking over to Robina.

'Just make sure Kelley's in her pyjamas by seven-'

'Lying down by eight, lights out eight-thirty, I know the drill. Can I call Kari and tell her I'm not going to the movies tonight?'

'After lunch.'

When they'd finished eating and Gil and Robina were left in the kitchen to tidy up, he dried his hands on the towel and wrapped his arms around Robina. 'Best wife ever,' he told her, kissing her neck. 'But what's up with TJ and you today?'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean our son kept looking at you like he was reciting a line.'

'Mostly because I bribed him into babysitting tonight.' Robina told him how she'd bribed TJ with pancakes and the promise of a movie night with his little girlfriend. 'You don' think that's too much is it?'

'Are you kidding? TJ will have Kelley bathed, manicured and singing in Swahili if he thinks it'll get him bonus perks of his date next week.'

'My boy on a date.' She gave a mock sniffle. 'So grown up.'

'I was also thinking that since we're grown up too...' Gil trailed off, murmuring a suggestion in Robina's ear that had her eyes going wide. 'If you're interested.'

'Absolutely.'


	22. Gil & Robina III

'Man, this is so cool!'

Gil looked around like he was six years old, and his grandfather was taking him to Shea Stadium all over again. He hadn't stopped gawking since they'd gotten there, nor had he missed the subtle flirtatious twitches in his wife's face. She was up to something, he knew, but what it quite was he couldn't pin down.

So for the moment, he focused on the baseball game, watching the home-team pitcher strike out his fourth batter in three innings. 'Man, Frasier's on track for a season-high strike record if he keeps this up,' he commented to Robina as she came back from the ladies room. 'Thanks again for this, babe, it's just perfect.'

'Well, I knew you'd had a rough one at work, and then feeling a little less than useless to your friend last night since you two have such different daddy histories, this was the best way to go.'

Gil tapped his beer bottle against hers. 'You knew just right.' He sipped, then paused when he saw her thoughtful, curious expression. 'What else you got running through that noggin of yours?'

'I can't help thinking of that little suggestion you made at lunch today,' Robina all but purred at her husband. She looked around, at her husband. 'That door locked?'

'It's key-card only and there's two security guards outside to begin with.'

'Right. So if I do this...' Robina looked at him, unzipped the fly of her jeans and slipped her hand down against her body. 'There's no chance of us being busted by them.'

'Them, no.' Gil shook his head as his heart thumped hard against his ribs. 'The skybox that opens onto the rest of the stadium that could potentially put us on the kiss-cam, yes.'

'Okay.' Robina slipped her hand back out, held the other out to Gil. 'Come on.'

She tugged him to his feet, brushing her lips against his ever so slightly, Robina moved them so they were well out of range of the visual line of the other baseball fans in the park; the moment they were, she kept him at arms length and slipped her hand down once more. She let her eyelids sink close, her breath coming slower and slower so her breasts rose and fell like ocean swells.

'Robina, seriously?' Gil fought to get the words out while he still had blood above his belt-buckle. 'Here?'

'Well it's either here or at home and embarrassing our son who knows we're going to do it anyways because it's date night tonight,' she replied with relaxed satisfaction. Robina opened her eyes, kept them on his face as she used her free hand to undo the buttons of her blouse one at a time. She made it to the one between her breasts before Gil sprang into action and was flipping the rest open so the fabric hung loose on her body. He grabbed her wrist to ease her hand out from between her thighs to slip the shirt from her body and she tugged his pullover off so they were both stripped to the waist.

'Turn around,' he demanded in a husky voice and when Robina had done so, Gil indulged himself tasting her shoulder, nipping her bra strap between his teeth and tugging it down; he reached around her body to pull the fabric of it down and cup one perfect breast against his palm The brutal arousal of his thumb against her pebble-like nipple had him groaning in frustration as she groaned too, the feel of his hand against her body making her tremble just a little.

Then his other hand was following the path of hers and he found her wet and wanting him, so Gil entertained them both by kissing the sides of her neck, capturing her earlobe lightly in his teeth as he stroked her, the slick gliding feel making him further and further aroused. Robina thrust her hips back against his, she felt a heated rush in her veins at the bulge she felt beneath his jeans. Then everything went hot and bright as Gil turned her around and slipped one finger inside her, drawing it out slowly to increase her pleasure.

'Gil,' she sighed in his ear. 'Now.'

'But you're not even close, I can feel it.'

'I just want you with me.'

Gil looked in her eyes, then unzipped his pants but instead of partially shedding his boxers he finished unclasping Robina's bra so she was topless as well. There was no more beautiful sight in the world than this woman before him, he knew; Gil reached out, cupped her breasts and scraped his thumbs over their heated points.

'Gil, you take whatever you want from me,' she murmured. 'Whatever you need from me, take it.'

'What I want is you with you legs wrapped around my waist. But all in good time. Right now, just keep your eyes on me.'

Robina watched his face, the take-charge attitude covering him as he teased the tips of her breasts into taut little peaks, then lowered his mouth to one, tongue rolling so that she cried out for him. But she knew her man and he wasn't done there. No, he was tugging her pants and her panties down, hand snaking down her body until he was pleasuring her so perfectly, the way he knew she would love.

And once more, before she could finish Gil was shoving at his own pants and spinning Robina around to face the wall. Her hips were angled in a backwards direction and with a little help of her hand, he was sliding into her, filling her up as only he could, then retreating so that he could set the rhythm. It wasn't a slow grind, but it wasn't a jack-rabbit pounding either. This was somewhere in the middle for them, and Gil kept both his hands on her hips as he kept going.

'Feels so good, Gil,' Robina moaned for him, then felt the hitch in her chest, the shift. 'Oh, god, right there, right like that! Yes, like that!'

Gil heard her moans of appreciation and felt like a god when she began to slip towards the edge. It was his own heaven in her, making love to her body and soul, so he pressed forward, changing the angle ever so slightly, but giving Robina a world of difference in sensation. Now his thrusts were shorter, her hand pressed against the wall underneath his; the other was on her hip so that she didn't run away on her own orgasmic delight.

Robina could feel her control slip further and further from her fingers. She let her head roll back against Gil's chest, hearing the thunderclap of his raging heartbeat. Vaguely she heard his voice, giving her instructions.

'I want to hear you say it.'

'I'm...I'm coming, Gil, I'm coming.'

It gave him the final boost he needed, for hearing those words from the mouth of his sweet bride made his blood bubbly madly. A few final thrusts, including one where the hand that had stayed on Robina's hip moved around to the place where they joined together, she and him, as a single unit. He found her trigger, rubbing his fingers over her gently, heard her moan she was coming again, so Gil let whatever control he thought he still needed go and let himself be swept away by the sensation made from their bodies.

Spent and drained, Robina slumped against the wall, her husband still inside her; he pulled out of her and she turned around to see his face. Robina called it that her man would get a kick of out this - the slightly voyeuristic appeal of their lovemaking - and that they would be hard-pressed to find a better way than this to unwind after a long and trying week.

'Gil,' she murmured.

'Uhhh.'

'Gil, don't fall asleep,' Robina laughed. 'We can't stay in here over night!'

'Uh-huh.'

'If you fall asleep, you might not get dinner. We have to let the bartender and caterers in by nine-thirty.'

The mention of food had Gil's hormone-addled brain coming back to his body. 'Wouldn't want that. TJ will ask what we ate, and we can't tell our thirteen-year-old we missed out because we hadn't recovered from boning each other brainless at Shea Stadium.'

'No, but now we can cross one of our top-five fantasies off the list.'

'Yep. Only three more to go.'

* * *

><p>When they arrived home shortly after midnight, it wasn't surprising to see TJ still up - not on Skype this time but watching an action movie on television, a bowl of popcorn curled into his arm and a bottle of Reeds ginger-beer on the table beside him.<p>

'Hey, TJ, how'd the babysitting go?' Robina asked.

'Kell-Bell was an angel. We played Barbies, and coloured, I gave her a bath and painted her fingernails for her, then we watched _Return of Jafar_ and then I read her a story.' TJ gave them a smile. 'I earned my _Pulp Fiction_ fair and square.'

'You certainly did. Alright, bedtime, slugger.'

TJ dusted popcorn salt off of his hands, gave his parents each a hug and headed upstairs with Gil watching him.

'Guess we're not the only ones who are excited for date night.'


	23. RJ & Trini

_So here is the other young couple I knew I would be giving a 'date night' to in this story! Hope you don't go into sugar comas or break your 'aww' bones!_

* * *

><p>Sometimes, Beckett thought, the men in her life were easy to read as one of her murder boards. Sometimes, however, like today they were as enigmatic as the Sphinx, and her son was no exception.<p>

'RJ,' she asked him as he mumbled to himself looking in the pantry while Jojo puttered around their feet, crawling like a champion. 'What are you doing?'

'Thinkin', Mumum.'

'Thinking about what?'

'Birt-days.'

'Birthdays,' she repeated as she sliced celery and carrot sticks. 'What about birthdays.'

'It is so unfair Trini has to share her puh-resents.'

Beckett stopped what she was doing, gave RJ a look. 'Trini has to share her presents?'

'Yeah, you know, she and Leo have the same birt-day. They are tah-wins.'

'Yes they are, but they're also two very different people.'

'I _know_,' RJ said with exasperation, 'but everyone will jus' give'em the same thing, one for boys and one for girls. I wanna make sure Trini knows she is special.'

'Pish,' Jojo added helpfully, looking at her brother with wide eyes. 'Pish?'

'That's right, Jojo, Trini is suh-pecial.'

'Me pish.'

'Of course you suh-pecial, Jojo, you're my little sister. And Alexis is suh-pecial be-cause she is the big sister.'

'Sis.' Jojo began to crawl towards the door. 'Sis.'

'Hang on speedy.' Beckett swooped in and plucked Jojo up, blowing a raspberry on her cheek and settling her into her high-chair. 'There, we go all tucked in because it is dinnertime soon.'

'When is Daddy home?' RJ asked, following his mother back into the kitchen and going back to the pantry once more. 'You said he'd be home soon.'

'Tomorrow, baby. We meet him at the airport tomorrow.'

'Woosh!' Jojo flapped her hands around. 'Woosh, woosh, woosh!'

'That's right Jojo, planes go woosh,' RJ said to his sister, then frowned. 'Mumum, we have al-monds?'

'Almonds?'

'Yes. I need al-monds and lemons.'

'Why do you need almonds and lemons?' Beckett asked, trying to see into the labyrinth of her son's mind.

'Be-_cause_ I have to make cookies fo' Trini. She like lemon al-mond cookies and she needs'em fo' her birthday.'

'But we're already giving her and Leo each a book.'

'I know, but she needs to know she is special. She is a twin, but she is Trini too.'

'Okay.' Beckett began to see just what RJ was driving at - he wanted to make sure that Trini knew she was her own person and she happened to be a twin. 'Well, we're going to have dinner first and then when Jojo's in bed, you and I will make some cookies for Trini.'

'We gotta use my book, Mumum. It has the recipe in it. Trini likes those ones best.'

'Nini! Nini, Nini, Nini!' Jojo crowed, gleefully slamming her palms into the plastic tray of her high-chair. 'Nini?'

'No, we are not goin' to see Trini today. We are going to make cookies for her, right Mumum?'

'That's right, baby. After Jojo goes to bed but right now it's dinner time.'

Beckett brought over the tureen of chicken and vegetable soup, homemade from Meredeth's recipe. It was the same one she used when RJ had strep throat, and she knew it was one of his comfort foods. Jojo also loved it so it was a good family meal when Castle, the resident chef, was out of town. Beckett was no slouch in the kitchen but she did better with breakfast foods and she knew what state her children would be in if she made scrambled eggs and pancakes for dinner for six dinners without their daddy.

She pulled her chair over with the small bowl of soup for Jojo after ladling out RJ's portion and before she lifted the spoon to her daughter's lips, RJ let out a howl. 'No! Mumum, we gotta say 'guh-racias', Tessi and Leo and Trini and Max do it all the time!'

'Okay, RJ.'

'May the Lord bless us and make us thankful for every cupful and every plateful,' he recited dutifully, then picked up his napkin to lay across his knees. 'I don't do the other thing, be-cause we are not Cath'lics and my Trini is a Cath'lic. What's that mean, Mumum?'

'It means that is their religion.'

'Oh, like how Shane is Jewish and has Chanukah?'

Beckett had to laugh; her son always managed to make it sound like Shane celebrating the Festival of Lights was a chronic condition though she knew he had nothing but respect for his big brother-in-law. 'Shane _celebrates_ Chanukah, RJ.'

'But...but we have Christmas, so that makes sense, he has Chanukah.'

'We celebrate them both, RJ. When we say we're having Christmas, it means we are hosting the Christmas dinner, just like Shane and Alexis host Chanukah.'

'Ohhhhhh.' RJ nodded solemnly as he understood it better now, and blew on his spoonful of soup before drinking it down. 'I see Mumum.'

'Mumum.' Jojo stretched her neck forward to Beckett's hovering spoon and pursed up her little lips like a goldfish, sent a little stream of air over the spoon in her mumum's hand. 'Mumum, soo.'

'I'm sorry sweetie pie, here.' Beckett blew on the soup herself, tipped the spoon into Jojo's mouth. 'Yum, yum yum.'

'You know what else are yummy? Cookies.'

'Yes RJ we'll get to the cookies.'

* * *

><p>The following day, Beckett RJ and Jojo made their way to Chelsea, where they found Meredeth home with just Trini and Max. According to the lady of the house, Tessi and Leo had gone to Lili and Cam's house for the afternoon while Esposito was at work so they would have some privacy.<p>

'Meredet', look! I made'em wit' Mumum helpin',' RJ held up his box of treasures for his sweetheart. 'They suh-pecial, jus' fo' Trini.'

'Well she will like those very much. I'm going to go get her and Max up, they wanted a little nap before you got here.'

'Mass? Mass?' Jojo looked around, as if searching for him. 'Mass?'

'He is up-suh-tairs, Jojo,' RJ told her as Meredeth headed for the second floor. He sat down on the landing and unfastened his own little sandals, setting the tin of cookies beside him. 'He is you' suh-wee-hear'?'

'No, I think Jojo just likes being around people,' Beckett laughed, then looked up the stairs when she heard the sound of little feet on the second floor. 'I think that's your cue, RJ.'

The little boy stood up and looked up the stairs, the wonderful happy tingle in his tummy there like it always was when he saw his beautiful Dane-o-Rican baby. She had a pretty smile and her laugh always made him smile too; he gave an little wiggle on the spot.

'Ah-Shay!' Trini raced down the stairs as carefully as her three-year-old legs would take her. She stopped at the landing and gave him a hug. 'You visitin'?'

'I came for you' birt-day,' RJ told her. 'We are gonna have tea an' cookies.'

'Cookies? Ah-Shay, you have cookies?' Trini knew her friend liked being in the kitchen like her mami and many times now he came with special treats.

'Not jus' cookies, suh-pecial cookies jus' fo' you. Happy birt-day, Trini,' RJ told her sweetly and held out the box.

'This is his version of a heart-shaped box of chocolates, isn't it?' Meredeth murmured to Beckett with Max in her arms while Jojo stayed cuddled up with her mama. 'Trini, there is a little something in the kitchen for you and RJ.'

'Okay! 'Mon, Ah-Shay!' Ever the bold one, Trini grabbed his hand and dragged him into the kitchen where they found two child-sized cups full of mild tea with milk waiting for them at the table. She went to climb into her seat, but RJ let out a squeal.

'No! I am a gen-tell-man, Trini! I do it!'

He pulled out her chair for her and did his best to shove it back in once she was seated, then sat down himself, lifted the lid off the tin. He laughed when Trini sniffed at the box's contents and her eyes went wide.

'These fo' me?' she asked in hushed excitement.

'Uh-huh, be-cause you are Trini and you are a tah-win, but you are very suh-pecial to me.'

'Ah-course, Ah-Shay. We see-hots.'

RJ grinned, nudged the box towards her. 'Ladies go firs', that's wha' Daddy says. I made lemon-al-mond, those you' favourites.'

'Uh-huh.' Trini reached a delicate hand into the box, put two cookies on her plate. 'They so yummy.'

'You get to keep'em all.'

'Really?'

'Really, really. They are my suh-pecial birt-day puh-resent jus' fo' you.'

Trini used her teaspoon to scoop up a little of her milky tea, test its temperature. 'Guh-rassy, Ah-Shay. I love my Ah-Shay.'

'I love my Trini too.'


	24. New Couple I

_Hello everyone! Can I just say WELCOME BACK NCISchick/Babycastle09! I've missed you girl! Not the same without you. Right, new installment! This is an idea I had simmering back when I wrote the hospital-breakup and hopefully, like Daniel and Andrea, you'll take these ones in too!_

* * *

><p>'It's so nice you have placements at the clinic in New York, Lex.'<p>

Sloan Machado grinned at her friend as she took a turn pushing five-month Devon in his pram down Seventh Avenue. 'Devon misses you a lot,' she added with a wink. 'Anytime he sees a redhead he starts babbling 'Sasasa', just like he does for you.'

Alexis laughed, then looked at evon with his dark hair and muddy brown eyes. 'Devon, did you think the Mets could be the Marlins after a zero-and-three deficit?'

'Sasasasa.'

'See?'

'Ssh, don't spoil my mother's fun,' Sloan teased her, gave Devon's tummy a tickle, watched him giggle and coo.

God she loved her baby, more than anything in the world. There were nights when she cried herself to sleep because she didn't think she was doing a good job, but then she'd wake up to a message from Alexis or a text from Meredeth or one of the other ones and suddenly it was okay again. She would get up and feed her son and go to the office with him to take photos of the famous people that paid the bills and maybe if she had the energy at the end of the day she would read a book or watch a movie and play a game of Scrabble on-line.

With a content little sigh, Sloan gave Alexis a nudge in the shoulder. 'So, where are we heading?'

'Roscoe's Sugar Shack. Shane has been fighting a pre-winter cold and being the man-child he always is when he's sick, has requested Roscoe's low fat Tutti Frutti for easing his sore throat.'

'Oh goody, I love that place.' Despite the fact it was only a week to Hallowe'en, in Sloan Machado's mind there was no better place to get a sweet-treat than Roscoe's. They had the best foot-long hot-dogs in the city during the summer months when the grill was up and running. 'They make the best milkshakes.'

'Are you seven or twenty-seven?'

'I am a mama who likes to get her sugar on whatever way she can, but preferably with ice cream.'

'Then let's go before there's a big line-up.'

* * *

><p>They were only six deep at the counter, which considering it was a Saturday at lunchtime in New York was a sneeze of a wait time. Unfortunately, young Devon decided this was the same time it was necessary to send up a call for lunch.<p>

'Okay, okay, Mama's here, big boy,' she murmured, cuddling him against her shoulder and closing her eyes as she rocked him; she could feel the other people staring at her and wanted to tell them all to fuck off, she was a single mother and new to the game, and doing the best she could. Sloan opened her eyes, saw Devon was self-soothing by sticking his fingers in his mouth and sucking on them. 'Well that works too.'

'You want me to ask for some hot water for his formula, Sloan?' Alexis asked, digging in the baby bag for the bottle Devon was evidently craving.

'No, it's okay, he prefers it room temperature.'

'I can take him, if you want to get your shake.'

'Well-'

'Hey, mama!'

Sloan looked over at the cheerful voice and felt her insides curl up a little bit He was in his work clothes and his hands were covered in plaster dust. 'Jeremy, hi. What brings you this way?'

'All-day job on Seventh and Forty-Seventh and I needed the fresh air so I'm springing for shakes for me and my boys. And how is young master Devon?'

'Hungry, I'm thinking I might give him over to Auntie Lexie here in about two seconds.'

'Oh, here, let me.' With efficient moves that had Alexis raising an eyebrow, Jeremy neatly nipped the six-month-old out of his mother's arms. Even more surprising, the baby didn't fuss or squirm. 'Yeah, Jam's got you now, doesn't he?'

Devon's response was a blink and a massive sneeze, followed with a gummy smile that melted the man's heart. 'Boy, you are something else. Here, hang with Mama, I gotta hit the head.'

Jeremy handed the baby back to Sloan, giving her a wink on his way to the loo, and when Sloan looked after him then back to Alexis, she gave her gobsmacked friend a little shrug.

'What?'

'What? Don't what me, Marguerita Sloan Machado, that's my line,' Alexis retorted, using her friends whole name. She gestured in the direction of the washrooms. 'What the hell is that?'

'Not anything, really. We hit it off at the wedding and about a month ago, I ran into him at the grocery store when I dropped a pound of oranges all over the produce aisle and he helped me scoop them up. We've bumped into each other here and there since then, it's not like we're all hot and heavy dates every weekend or something.'

'Or something.'

'Seriously, Alexis, I'm a single working mom, I've got a six-month old. Aside from the fact that a baby is the number one libido slayer out there, I'm too tired and too pre-occupied with my baby to even think about dating right now.'

'Uh-huh.' Alexis looked over, saw Jeremy come back with less plaster dust on his hands than he'd had before, and once more he neatly nipped Devon out of Sloan's hold and into his own.

'There we are, much different when you're big like me, little dude. How did your photo shoot at the Biltmore go?'

'Oh, really well, the prints are going to be in the show on the first. They've gone to the gallery and the curator is currently setting up the exhibit.' Sloan felt a giddy bubble in her stomach at the mention of her next showing. 'After that piece in _Vanity Fair_ with the nude photos in black and white, I've been booking gigs non-stop, I actually had to turn peopel down because of being on maternity leave.'

'That's good, though, you want to beat them off with a stick. Right Devon?' Jeremy jostled the baby in a gentle way, making Sloan's heart go pitter-pat at the delight on her son's face. 'He agrees.'

'Next!'

Jeremy watched Sloan step up to the counter, the way she tucked her top lip between her teeth in concentration and wondered how the hell her ex had gotten so freaked out by the possibility of parenting with her. True, no woman was ever a picnic twenty-four seven but Sloan was by no means ordinary. She was strong, and brave, and just wonderful.

Finally getting his courage up to do what he knew he should have done back in July but hadn't because it wasn't even close to the right time, he took a step up to the counter beside her as she ordered a pina-colada milkshake. 'I'm with her, he told the attendant. 'Can I get three large shakes, two triple chocolate, one tropical fruit, and one of your house-brand lemonades?'

'You don't have to do that,' Sloan protested, but Jeremy shook his head.

'My treat, I insist. Listen, do you have any plans tonight?'

'Tonight?'

'Yeah. I've got the night free and I'd like to see you.'

'Like a date?'

'Not 'like' a date,' Jeremy laughed, the confusion in her voice inexplicably charming. 'It is a date, Sloan.'

'Oh, I don't know, Jeremy, I'd need to get a sitter, and-'

'I'll take care of him,' Alexis offered, catching the tail end of the conversation as she came back from selecting Shane's tub of ice cream from the take-home freezer. 'Shane's on nights tonight and I've got no plans, I'd love to watch him.'

'There's a screening of the original Swedish _Girl With The Dragon Tattoo_ at the Empire on Lexington, I've already got tickets.'

Sloan felt her defenses weaken; she loved the Stieg Larsson series, books and films alike. 'Um...sure, I- why not?'

'Cool.' Jeremy passed Devon to Alexis, collected his drinks and paid for both his and Sloan's. 'It's at eight-fifteen, so I'll pick you up at Alexis' place.'

'Sure.'

'See you tonight, and see you later, Devon.' Jeremy gave the baby's cheek a little peck, then headed out the door.

Alexis watched him go along with Sloan and counted down. 'Five, four, thr-'

'Oh my god!'

'There it is,' she laughed.

'Oh, god, Lex, what did I just do?'

'Agree to a date with a fine looking man?

'But...but I can't just dump my son the first time a handsome man looks my way and says 'call me', that's not being a good mother!'

'Sloan you are an excellent mother, and you need to go out and have some fun as a grown-up. Devon is very well adjusted and Jeremy seems to really like you.'

'You think so?' Sloan looked over at her friend, and for the first time in a long time, Alexis saw uncertainty and fear about a date there.

'Yes I do. Now you need to go home and start picking an outfit out while Devon has his afternoon nap.'


	25. New Couple II

_Hello everyone! Well I am back in fighting form - I was a participant in this year's NaNoWriMo challenge and I finished it with 2 days to go! To see my style outside fanfiction, check out 'NaNoWriMo dot ORG' and my author screen name is 'merrcherr' (same as my Twitter handle), and the novel's name is 'Newbie: A Cracker Jack Mystery.' Also, reading and reviewing this one is good too!_

* * *

><p>'Sloan, sweetie, hold still or I am going to burn your neck with this curling iron!'<p>

'You sound like my mother.'

Alexis felt a bit like a mother the way Sloan could barely stop from wiggling as the pretty newlywed did her friend's hair for her big date night with Jeremy. 'Well, I don't want you going out with Jeremy with a huge-ass welt on your neck.'

'Alexis, watch the swears, Devon's almost six months and the doctor's said this is when he's most sensitive to language and learning words.'

'Okay, fair enough.' She opened her mouth, then shut it again, which had Sloan arching an eyebrow.

'Dude, I can see you making faces.'

'I'm simply wondering if maybe you might end up asking me to keep Devon for an overnight because you want some privacy to end your date night, you know, over breakfast.'

'Listen, my horny newlywed friend, I may not have had sex in over a year but I can assure you that I'm not going out with Jeremy just to get laid.'

'No, no, I just mean you guys are already clicking so well together I wouldn't judge you if you did decide to have him stay the night.'

Sloan knew that was the truth, so she reached up and patted Alexis' hand. 'Thank you all the same but I will be here by midnight at the very latest to collect my son. And it's already seven thirty, he'll be here soon.'

'Then we better finish up your hairdo.'

* * *

><p>'No way.'<p>

'Body, you sound like a teenage girl.'

'And with good reason. This is the woman from Shane's wedding? The photographer with the new baby?' Body asked as they walked towards Alexis and Shane's block; it just happened to be around the corner from Body's bakery so Jeremy met his friend after work to go and meet his date at their other friend's house. 'Why are you asking her out now, wasn't the time to do that without looking like an ass back in, I don't know, July when you met her?'

'Because she was in no place for a relationship, bro, that's why. She had a new baby not even two months old and was trying to get her life together after kicking out her boyfriend of six years.'

'Okay, okay that's fair. Did you keep in touch after the wedding?'

'No.' Jeremy shook his head. 'I didn't want to be a jerk and make her think I was just after some ass, you know?'

'So how did you meet her again?'

'Dumb luck. She was at Martindale's with this bag of oranges, she dropped it and oranges were everywhere so I helped her retrieve them.'

'Aww, how cute,' Body teased his friend and got a shove in the shoulder for his troubles. 'So cute, I won't overlook the fact you stole my ticket for the movie to give to her.'

'I bought them, I can do with them as I please since you never paid me back for the ticket like you said you would.'

'Dude, I-'

'Shut up, we're here.' Jeremy looked at his reflection in the glass of the doors, straightened his collar. 'There, how do I look?'

'Great. Just remember you never mock a woman's choice of movie snack, always let her pick the seats and for God sakes turn off your cell in the theatre.'

'Thanks, Pops.'

'Have fun.'

Jeremy watched Body walk down the street towards the subway station, then with a deep breath of steeling courage, pressed the intercom button for S & A Weaver. Shane himself answered in a harsh rasp.

'Hello?'

'Hey, it's Jeremy.'

'Come on up.'

Jeremy went in, took the elevator as he was far too anxious for the stairs; besides, Shane and Alexis lived on the top floor of the six-story apartment building. He knocked on the door and wasn't surprised when Alexis answered with Devon in her arms. 'Come on in, she's just in the bedroom.'

'Hey, this is just a first date,' Jeremy teased back as he looked around, saw Shane on the couch wrapped in a throw blanket looking rather pale and clammy. 'Damn, bro, you look like hell.'

'Called in sick for work. I'm going to die in the bathtub once you and Sloan are off for your date. Where are you going?'

'It's a surprise,' Jeremy replied seeing the door open. He took an extra deep swallow when he saw Sloan coming out of the room. She'd put on a dress, a burgundy number and her hair was wavy now, a mass of curls that made him think of his college crush on Keri Russell; she'd pinned it up so just a few loose ringlets trailed over the smooth lovely nape of her neck. And the legs, the legs he'd missed because she'd been wearing a long dress at the wedding,

'Hey, you,' he said with a warmth blooming through his chest into his stomach. 'You look great, Sloan.'

'Thanks.' Sloan tried not to bat her lashes but the blinking was the only thing that was keeping her concentration in focus because he was just yummy from head to toe. It had been a while since she'd looked at a man and thought about him as more than a user or whore, but she was looking at Jeremy now and he was just fine, fine, fine. He had such kind eyes, a blue-green that changed in the light and the way he gave her that slow, thoughtful grin like he was drinking her in was enough to have her panties dropping.

Alexis saw the look on her friends' faces, and murmured to little Devon, 'See that? They keep looking at each other like that and you're going to have a whole bunch of baby brothers and sisters, Devon.'

'Have her home at a decent hour,' Shane croaked from his prone position on the couch.

'You're worse than Body,' Jeremy replied; of course he would have Sloan in at a decent hour, she was a mother with a young baby who needed her love and attention; a very cute baby he couldn't get enough of. Offering his arm gallantly to Sloan, he gave her a smile. 'Shall we?'

* * *

><p>It was a nice night out, cool but clear and with no breeze lowering the temperature, it was ideal fall weather. Sloan didn't give a damn, it could have been pouring rain for all she cared, all that was on her mind right now was the fact she was out on a real date. She'd shaved her legs and used the good mascara, and was going to relish every last second of it because she had no idea when the next chance for such a night would be.<p>

'This is going to be great,' she sighed enthusiastically. 'I haven't seen the original Swedish version on the big screen. And I can't believe you are actually wanting to see a foreign film with subtitles that isn't martial arts.'

'Normally you'd be right, but my grandparents were from Sweden. I grew up watching Bergman films with them. I was the only kid in the eighth grade who had a crush on a movie star of the black-and-white era.'

'Really? Jeremy Channing? I wouldn't have pegged that as Swedish.'

'It's my mother's parents. Dad's side is English.'

'Ah, see my mother is Scottish and my dad was Portuguese.'

'Was?' Jeremy asked, as they walked into the theatre.

'He died when I wasn't even a year old. He stepped in between his brother and a guy in a barfight, got stabbed saving his brother.'

'I'm so sorry to hear that.'

Sloan shrugged affably. 'I know he loved me and he watches out for me, and now for his grandson too. But I don't want to be maudlin tonight. Unless, of course, you refuse to share popcorn with me.'

'Now that's a first, a girl who willingly shares her movies snacks,' he said brightly, stepped up to the ticket booth. He waited for the ticket-taker to rip the stubs, but instead he simply shoved them back to him. 'Is there a problem, sir?'

'Yes, today is the twenty-fifth.'

'And?'

'These tickets are for next week's screening, on the first of November.'

Jeremy closed his eyes as embarrassment flooded every cell of his body. 'Right. Thanks.' He waited until he and Sloan were outside the theatre before saying anything. 'Sloan I am so, so sorry, I didn't think the tickets were for next week, I-'

'Hey, it's okay,' she reassured him, putting her hand on his arm. 'We're still out on the town on a Saturday night in New York City. It's not like there's nothing else to do.'

'I know, but I was really looking forward to seeing that movie again.'

'We could always stream it from HomeTheatre at my place,' Sloan started but Jeremy shook his head.

'I promised you a date, and I will deliver.' He paused, frowned. 'And I will deliver that when I get an idea.'


	26. New Couple III

'Aha, I've got it!'

'Lightning has struck?'

'Come on.' As Jeremy knew this neighbourhood well he took her hand in his and they walked towards East Thirty-Eighth.

Before they'd even crossed the busy intersection, Sloan could smell it - spicy roasted meat that made her mouth water. She hadn't eaten a proper dinner owing to the fact she was too damn excited about seeing Jeremy. Now, feminine pride was severely outweighed by the snarling snap of hunger in the pit of her stomach.

Jeremy stopped at the source of the wonderful scent - a street-cart run by a man with an apron that had seen the day's customers come and go judging from the amount of sauce drips therein. 'Jean-Louis, how's it going?'

'Cannot complain today, not with this weather,' he replied with a musical Quebecois accent. 'What for you, mon ami?'

'Let's try the lamb hearts with extra tongue. But ladies first, naturally.'

'No tongue,' Sloan replied instantly, almost in a panic, and made the vendor laugh.

'I make you my specialty.' Jean-Louis' hands flew like those of a fine-dining line chef, putting ingredients into a pita and wrapping it in one-sided foil for Sloan. He set it aside, then looked at Jeremy. 'For you, I am thinking pork livers with extra black olives.'

'Just to be safe, I'll have my regular.'

'I take it you come here often,' Sloan jumped in, loving the by-play of the two men which they obviously enjoyed themselves. 'With supermodels?'

'Nah, he is coming here to buy lunches for his work-crew,' Jean-Louis replied. 'At least twice a week, he buys them good, hearty food, not that prissy shit you find on Madison Avenue.'

'What a nice guy.'

Jeremy fought the blush, then winced as he felt a splat on his shoulder. A quick glance told him it wasn't a pigeon or shit-hawk, but water. 'We supposed to get rain today?'

'Oui-oui, mon ami.' Jean-Louis wrapped Jeremy's order, put both wraps in a paper bag and found a few pretzels as well. 'You want something to drink or you have a bottle of wine waiting at home?'

'Two iced teas, Jean-Louis, and make it fast, looks like it's going to open up soon,' Jeremy replied as he glanced up at the sky where thunder rumbled ominously.

He'd just fished out his wallet and paid for the dinner when a streak of lightning split the sky, making Sloan wince as rain began to pour down. 'We better get a cab. I want to call Lex, see how Devon is.'

'We're barely three blocks from my place,' Jeremy replied, tucking the back inside his jacket. 'We're hoof it there before it gets nasty.'

Despite sprinting the two blocks south and one block east to his building, they arrived looking like drowned rats at Jeremy's building. They'd just made it inside the secured door before the lights went _bzzzzzt_ and flicked off.

'Excellent timing,' Sloan laughed, shoving her ruined hairstyle out of her eyes as she followed him up the stairs with their pale yellow emergency lighting. 'What floor?'

'Four. Not too far.'

Sloan followed him up, admiring the view even in the dim lighting - Jeremy Channing had a very nice ass, the kind that came from natural athletic activity. She cleared her throat as they stopped on four and Jeremy handed over the bag of food while he fished out his keys.

'These are still dry, so that's something at least.'

With a shove he opened the door, saw his emergency LED lights had kicked in; Jeremy pulled out a chair at the kitchen table which was clear of thankfully dishes. 'If you need the loo it's just behind the kitchen, on the left. Towels in the cabinet under the sink.'

'I'll call Missus Weaver first.'

'My room is right across from the bathroom for privacy.'

'Oh, sure, okay.'

Sloan took her purse, and as tempting as it was to see the most vulnerable aspect of this man's external existence, she opted instead for the bathroom. There was barely two rings when she dialed Alexis' cellphone. 'Hey, Lex, how's my little man doing?'

'He's down for the count, Sloan. Why are you calling, did you step out of the theatre?'

'No, the tickets are for next Saturday,' she explained, detailing the beginning of her street date and then getting soaked in the rain. 'So we're at his apartment right now.'

'Stay there.'

'Excuse me?'

'Stay there,' Alexis repeated. 'Devon is fine, Sloan, and I don't want to worry about you out in this weather. You left a full diaper bag here, and don't forget I've got extra supplies like nappies and formula here because of Jojo. You get dry and warm so you don't get sick, you hear me? I've already got one sickie on my hands, I don't need another least of all you.'

'Yes Missus Weaver,' Sloan laughed. 'You're sexy when you're in charge.'

'Shane thinks so too. Have a good night.'

'What, no lectures on safe sex or putting out on the first date?'

'I know you Sloan, I don't need to lecture you,' Alexis teased. 'Go, enjoy your date night.'

Sloan hung up, pulled open the door and nearly ran smack into Jeremy. He held up a robe, a long-sleeve tee and a pair of sleep pants much like the ones he was wearing. 'Here, put these on, you'll be comfier while you wring your clothes out and let them dry.'

'Oh, thank you.'

Jeremy nodded, then closed the door to give her privacy while he looked around his living room. There was no possible way to make this date more awkward but he could make her - them - comfortable. They couldn't watch television or listen to the stereo so they would only have each other for conversation.

'Fire,' he murmured and began to hum Springsteen as he went to the wall thermostat and prayed it would work since it was gas as well. A few minutes later, his living room was filled with the soft orange-and-blue glow of the mini fireplace of his apartment. He thought about the half-bottle of chardonnay in his fridge and then, because he knew Sloan had a good sense of humour, selected a different bottle.

When she emerged from the bathroom in the tee and pants and had his robe belted loosely around her waist, she saw him sitting on the floor in front of the couch with a glass of something milky; there was a second one on the table beside him as were their wraps and pretzels. 'What is that?'

'Pina colada without the rum. We got caught in the rain, it seemed appropriate. One for you as well.'

Sloan giggled, knelt down to join him. 'Devon's okay.'

'Good, good. At least we're nice and cozy here.'

'I think this is the first time I've ever gone home with a man on the first date and it didn't involve me being drunk off my ass,' Sloan teased him, felt her heart flutter when he returned the flirtatious look. 'But this is also my first date as a mom so I suppose that's a somewhat good thing.'

'Sloan.' Jeremy put his hand over hers, squeezed reassuringly. 'I'm not expecting this to be a _Penthouse _letter the first date we have.'

'No?'

'No. That comes on date ten.'

Sloan laughed again, and Jeremy fought to keep his blood in his head. She had the most amazing laugh. 'I'm impressed by your confidence.'

_What the hell_, Jeremy thought. 'Of course there'll be a date ten. I like you, Sloan,' he blurted out, 'and I want to see you again, and again, and again.'

Going with impulse, he set aside their glasses and taking her face in his hands he planted his lips lightly on hers, keeping the kiss light and tender. Her lips were soft and lush, her perfume enveloping his senses as he put more heat behind it. Vaguely he heard her sigh and Jeremy had to make the conscious effort to fight off the urge to lower them both to the floor and show her just how much he liked her.

Sloan had been kissed many times in her life by a man, but never like this, never like she was a precious delicate treasure. And this was most definitely a man kissing her now, he was strong and steady in his moves, and god he smelled delicious, a combination of rain water and date-night aftershave. Her hands fluttered up cautiously, landed on his cheeks as he pulled her close.

He sighed her name, his lips moving her jaw so his mouth was close to her ear. 'I want you to stay the night with me.'

'Jeremy-'

'Nothing funny, I promise. I just want to wake up with you beside me.'

'What a romantic,' Sloan murmured back. 'Yes. Devon will be okay with Alexis for the night, so yes.'

'Okay. Now the all-important Double Jeopardy question.'

'What's that?'

'What's your position on pancakes?'


	27. Caskett I

It felt a little funny to be back on the beat when Jojo wasn't even a year old, but Beckett was far more comfortable returning to work after her second baby than she was after RJ. Mostly because RJ was her first one and she had no idea how to be a working cop and a mother at the same time; now it was old hat.

It had only been two week she was back and with the following day being Meredeth's birthday party she was only a little guilty at working the extra hours since she started back; she wanted the next night free and clear. Beckett would, by God, figure out this balancing act. She could be a dedicated Homicide detective and still be a wife and mother and a woman with her own private life. Karpowski did it, hell Lanie did it too and she had even weirder hours than herself, and she had one more child to contend with than Beckett did.

So when she poured her second cup of coffee since five pm, Beckett flipped out her phone and dialed home while she waited for her milk to steam. Her spirits brightened instantly when she heard her son's voice.

'Castle house, this is RJ suh-peaking.'

'Are you sure,' she teased him, 'you sound way too grown up.'

'Mumum! Hi-hi, Mumum, you suh-till catching baddies?'

'Yes, my little prince, I am. Is Daddy there?'

'Uh-huh, jus' a moment.'

Beckett smiled as she heard the shuffle of noise, RJ plaintively hollering to his father that Mumum was calling and Jojo has to say hello too. When Castle came on the line, she brightened even more. 'You know, I'm glad Jojo's a girl, because I don't think another boy could take RJ's big brothering style very well.'

'Hello to you too Detective, and you're right,' Castle agreed. 'What's up?'

'Just wanted to call and say I won't be home until eight or nine tonight.'

Castle gritted his teeth but his voice was light. 'You want to make sure you make it for the birthday party tomorrow night, don't you?'

'That's right I do.'

'Just don't over do it, okay? RJ might still be up, he says he needs to talk to you about something important, and you know he will wait up for you.'

'I will call when I'm on my way home, as I always do,' Beckett replied; words couldn't do it justice how much she loved going home to people who loved and worried about her. 'Is Jojo there, I want to say goodnight to her.'

'Okay.'

There was another little shuffle and from the echo on the line, she knew she was now on speaker phone. Then came the sweet, angelic voice of her little girl.

'Mumum? Where Mumum?'

'Hi, bumblebee, I'm on the phone.'

'Mumum! Miss!'

'I miss you too sweetie, have you been having fun with RJ and Daddy?'

'Wash bugs.'

'You watched your bugs?' Beckett didn't even noticed her voice had become gentle and motherly as she talked to her little girl; it was simply part of her now. 'Did you have Mister Wiggles with you?'

'Bib wash.'

For some reason she'd taken to calling her stuffed caterpillar Bib, so Beckett just rolled with it. 'Okay, well I wanted to call and say I love you in case I'm not home to tuck into bed.'

'No. Wan' you. Miss.'

'Okay, I'll try to be home.'

'Yea!' Jojo clapped her hands and the noise was impressive in Beckett's ear. 'Love Mumum! See soo'!'

'I love you too, Jojo. Let me talk to Daddy now.'

'I hope she sleeps,' Castle said, switching out of speaker-mode. 'You know she'll wait up like her big brother if I can get her to go to bed.'

'I know, but if RJ curls up in the chair in the nursery, it might work.' Beckett glanced over at the clearing of a throat, saw Ryan hold up a file. 'I gotta go, lab results just came back. I love you.'

'Love you too.'

'What have you got?' she asked Ryan, who just grinned.

'You're lucky it's me and not Espo because he'd be taking blackmail video of you being covered in mommy at the precinct.'

'Two things. One, I am a mother now so that's bound to happen since I love my husband and children. And two, it's mumum, Detective. If you're going to tease me, get the facts right.'

'Fair point.' Ryan shrugged affably as they went back to the bullpen to Beckett's desk. 'Guess what Andrews found in Bryce Colten's bloodwork?'

'Cocaine?'

'Not a drop. Our boy was totally clean, yet experiencing the signs of someone acting like they were high as a kite.'

'That is fascinating.' Beckett picked up a marker for the dry-erase board and sighed thoughtfully. 'We know he was in with a rough crowd and that he'd met a girl he wanted to go straight for. He'd stopped flashing money around, stopped using, cut ties with his buddies who were deep into the drug scene. So why go back to that club three weeks later looking like you were hopped up on something?'

She turned to Ryan. 'Let's run a cross-check on Colten, see if he had any brushes with these guys, especially Enrico.'

'Yo!'

Ryan and Beckett turned simultaneously to see Esposito walking towards them, dressed for the outside and a file in his hand. 'Ballistics just came back on Colten, slugs are a match to a three-fifty-seven that was also tagged five months ago in the same drugs bust Enrico Chautauqua was arrested on.

'Same gun, different crimes and Enrico's name is on the radar again. I don't buy it.' Beckett shook her head.

'No?'

'No, I don't buy it. Look at Enrico Chautauqua's wrap sheet. He's a career criminal, arrested on suspicion of various activities but they are Vice and Narco crimes. Prostitution and extortion and drugs, not a single thing to do with murder, rape or assault. And all of a sudden he gets it in his head to pump a long-time friend full of lead?'

'The guy was leaving his gang,' Esposito pointed out.

'True but he's had other people try to leave and they didn't end up dead in an alley with three bullets in the back. We need to dig more on Enrico and Colten's relationship.'

'I'm sure you two will have fun with that. Meanwhile I've got my cold birthday mama at home,' Esposito said, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck.

'Don't you mean hot birthday mama, Javi?' Ryan asked and his partner gave him a saucy wink.

'Nah, she's cold right now. That's why I have to go home, so I can get her all hot.'

'Never fails,' Beckett murmured, sipping her coffee while the Ry-Sposito monster laughed and groaned, then sat up off the edge of her desk when she saw Montgomery come out of his office. 'Sir, good evening. You're here late.'

'Likewise Detective. Four nights in a row, I'll point out. You punishing Castle for something?'

'No, sir, just trying to stay ahead of paperwork before I catch another hot case.'

'Good plan. You have a moment?'

'Of course.'

Beckett nodded, followed him into his office, where she sat down. He offered her a bottle of iced tea; when she took it, she instantly recognized it as Meredeth's red raspberry. 'Where'd you score this?'

'Esposito and I took their dog to the vet while Meredeth was shopping with the kids, she thanked me with a goodie basket.' Montgomery twisted the top off of an Earl Grey tangerine. 'How are you feeling?'

'Not bad. Tired, but I expected that.'

'May I make a suggestion from one parent to another?'

'Sure.'

'I know there will be times when you can't avoid a late night. That's the nature of the job, but every chance you get to go home to your kids, take it. Set aside one night a week for staying after shift but that's it.'

'Sir-'

'Trust me, Kate, the job will always be here, but your babies are only babies once.'

Beckett ran her fingers along the chain underneath her blouse where her mother's ring stayed close to her heart. Added to it was the gift Montgomery had given her when she'd been off on maternity leave with RJ - the replica of a police badge only instead of a badge number on its face, it had the word 'Mama' instead. 'Sir, all due respect, is this your way of nicely saying for me to get my ass home?'

'The nice and professional way, yes. Do I need to make it a direct order?'

'No, sir.'

Beckett rose, taking the iced tea with her and fished out her cellphone to call home. 'Hey Rick is RJ still awake?' she asked when Castle answered.

'Yes, and somehow so is Jojo.'

'Perfect, tell them Mumum's coming home.'


	28. Caskett II

Beckett unlocked the front door and sighed in happy delight when she scented dinner on the air. Roasted pork and fresh which meant only one thing and it was making her mouth water. But food could wait. She put down her bag and her purse, called out when she saw the living room empty.

'Hello? Anyone home?'

Following her instincts she went upstairs to the nursery; her heart melted at what she saw - RJ and Castle were reading Jojo a bedtime story. Jojo was sucking on a bottle of formula as she sat on her father's lap and RJ, ever Helpy McHelperson, was holding the book up for Castle while he read to her.

'Doctor Dawson watched Basil with the scrap of paper, curious in its handwriting, and all its myriad clues that would hopefully lead them to the whereabouts of poor Olivia.'

'Daddy, what's mee-ad mean?'

'Myriad means a whole bunch of something,' Beckett filled in from the doorway and all three of them looked over at the sound of her voice.

'Mumum!' RJ forgot his duties as book-holder and dropped it like a hot potato as he scrambled up to give his mother a hug. 'You home soon!'

'Mumum!' Jojo grinned around her bottle, clapped her hands as Castle rose with the little girl still in his arms. 'Daddy, Mumum!'

'I see her, Jojo,' he laughed, 'and RJ's right; you're home soon.'

'Captain said the paperwork could wait, reminded me the job's always there, but my family is here now.'

'Wise man.'

Castle gave her a kiss that had RJ making what he called his 'zombie face' - he scrunched his eyes shut and stuck out his tongue.

'Ewww! Why you guys have to moosh all the time?'

'Because that's how we show each other we love each other,' Castle explained as she took her baby girl into her arms for a cuddle. He brushed his hand on her hair as the baby snuggled tight against Beckett. 'Someone's been missing you.'

'I think three someones have been missing me.'

'Yeah, but RJ told her that you were going to be home soon, and every five minutes it was 'Daddy, Mumum now?' I was ready to clobber that kid.'

'Mumum,' Jojo sighed, her long fingers clutching at Beckett's hair as she began to drift into sleep. 'Mumum now.'

'Yes, Mumum's got you now.'

'Yea,' she mumbled sleepily and within seconds she was snoring softly, so Beckett put her into bed with caterpillar Bib and her bottle nearby. With quiet movements and motions, she ushered her men out of the nursery, dimming the lights and heading downstairs.

Now that his mumum was home safely, RJ had tapped into a well of renewed energy, so the moment they were in the living room he was at his toy bin, picking out things he liked playing with his mother. 'Okay, Mumum, there's tuh-rucks, there's dinos, there's-'

'Easy, RJ, Mumum hads barely been home ten minutes,' Castle told him, seeing the fatigue of a long day beginning to sink in. 'She needs some breathing room.'

'Okay, we have 'toons. You wan' sharkies or you wan' bugs?'

'Let's have bugs,' she decided.

RJ went to the movie cabinet beside the TV and found the copy of _A Bug's Life_, put it in the player. He crawled up beside Beckett on the couch with the remotes which he gave to her and wrapped his arm around her midsection. 'You have a good day today, Mumum?'

'Yes, I did, but this is the best part of it,' she replied honestly as she pressed 'play' on the remote. 'Getting to see my babies and Daddy.'

'We the best, you know,' RJ said importantly, let his head thump against his mother's arm. She was home safely, and that was all he needed to be happy. Well, that his sisters, Omeo and Trini. And maybe some cookies for good measure. He snuggled against her just like Jojo, then sat up when he heard a weird noise. 'Mumum, you have a rooty-tooty-stinky-booty?'

'A what?' Beckett giggled, and Castle gave her a sheepish look.

'I may have used that phrase on Jojo when she had a muddy diaper after her dinner tonight.'

'You need the potty?' RJ asked sweetly.

'No, it was my stomach, sweetie. I'm very hungry all of a sudden.'

'Oh, okay! Daddy, we gotta make our dete'tive a suh-nack.'

'Got it covered, RJ, you stay with Mumum.'

'Our detective?' Beckett repeated when Castle had gone to the kitchen, began making kitchen noises while she cuddled with her son on the couch. 'What happened to Mumum?'

'You Dete'tive Mumum, and the bad guys shake in their boots when you say 'You under arres' ', right?'

'I sure hope they do or I'm not doing my job right.'

'An' Lanie and Shane say 'this guy died be-cause someone hurt him, you go find him', right?'

'That's right.'

'And Alexis be a do'tor for people who are sad when they no have a mumum or daddy or bunny to talk to.' RJ nodded; content everything was right in his world he patted Beckett's gurgling stomach. 'Your tummy mons'er cuh-ranky tonight.'

'What did you have for dinner?'

'Shuh-rek soup. It is Meredeth's recipe and it is so yummy. Daddy said we have to eat our veggies, but veggies are yucky and we have soup in'tead.'

'I see.' Beckett knew better than to tell her son that 'Shrek soup' was actually broccoli-cheese and that he was in fact eating his veggies when he slurped up two or three bowls like she knew he would. 'Well, you still need to eat your veggies. Even Omeo eats his veggies.'

'Really?'

'Well bunnies like carrots and lettuce and radishes, right? Those are veggies. And Omeo's never been sick.'

'Nuh-uh,' RJ replied with the stubbornness only a child could muster. 'Omeo has allershies, Mumum, he does not like soap, just like Jojo.'

'Jojo doesn't have a soap allergy, my little prince, she has sensitive skin and fabric softener irritates it. There is a difference.'

'Oh. Chef Daddy, Mumum is hungry!'

'It's coming right up.'

Castle brought the tray over and Beckett realized now why her son had talked about eating Shrek-soup yet she'd smelled roasted pork - he was making them Cuban sandwiches with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner. It was a combination she'd loved while pregnant with Jojo and was now one of her go-to comfort foods. She sat up straighter and actually clapped when he brought over the tray to the table; it even had a glass of orange juice on it for her. 'Richard you spoil me,' she said with a grin.

'Me too!' RJ saw his father had included a little plate with a mini grilled ham-and-cheese for himself. 'Now we have dinner together, Mumum, Daddy says that is important.'

Tears clogged Beckett's throat, so she took a little sip of juice to clear them out before she spoke. 'Richard you're not joining us?'

'I'm waiting on dessert,' he said, and Beckett's libido gave a happy little thrum when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. 'RJ and I were baking. We made apple-pear cobbler.'

'It has oatmeal in it, so we cannot let Omeo near it, be-cause he loves oatmeal and he will eat it all,' RJ informed his mother as he took a bite of his yummy sandwich.

'Can he have ice cream?'

'No, that's not good for bunnies. Can we watch the bugs now?'

Castle watched the two of them together, sharing a snack and conversation about the rest of the day while they watched one of Jojo's favourite. When RJ was done, he neatly took his plate to the kitchen and brought back extra napkins for Beckett because the boy knew she made a right mess of things when she ate sandwiches, and a straw so he could steal a sip of her drink. He watched his wife take of the layers of being a cop and be a mumum.

And tonight, he would watch her take off those layers, and just be Kate.

When they'd finished eating, and RJ was tucked into bed already half-asleep, Castle took Beckett's hands in his and he led her into their bedroom. 'Kate-'

'Rick, I'm sorry I've been working late.'

'Kate,' was all he said, and took her in his arms.

'I don't want to miss being a mom.'

'Our children are proud of their mother. You know Jojo isn't even a year old and she says 'Mumum cashum' because RJ is teaching her to say 'Mumum catches baddies' because he is so proud of you?'

'Really?'

'You don't believe me, ask them tomorrow morning at breakfast. But for now, I think my plan to seduce you needs to wait a moment, so we'll just cuddle.'

'My angels sleeping safe and sound in bed, and my man offering to just cuddle. Naked, of course,' she added with a flick of eyebrows.

'Of course.'


	29. Caskett III

The next morning, Beckett awoke early - too early - to the buzzing of her phone and saw it was a text from Montgomery.

_Consider yourself officially on duty at nine am today, Detective, no arguments_.

The man was as much a father to her as her own was, she thought, making sure that she didn't overdo it barely two weeks back from maternity leave. Granted, she wasn't the point-man on the most pressing case and she was certain that Esposito who was in charge and a father of four himself, would understand the captain's decision.

'Katie-Lou, you gotta go?' Castle asked sleepily, hearing the rustling movement his wife made beside him.

'No, just the captain saying I'm not on duty until nine.'

'Two hours later than usual? He must really want you to behave yourself.'

'Looks like.'

Castle saw the time - just ten minutes to six am - and calculated his luck. Reaching for his wife, he tugged the ends of her hair lightly, gave her a steaming kiss. 'Think he'll let you be bad for a few with me?'

'Oh yes,' she replied, hormones surging through her; it was one of her favourite ways to wake up. 'Very much so.'

Castle grinned as he kissed her again, still lying on his side as his arm looped over her body. Even with it being November fifth both of them slept nearly naked; it only took a little body-bending for him to slip Beckett's panties and sleep tank over her head, remove his silk boxers so they were pressed together intimately in the comfort of their bedsheets. She tasted dreamy, he thought, nibbling her lips; her eyes were still heavy with sleep so he took his time exploring her mouth to wake the rest of her up. He felt her hands, steady sure and capable on his back to keep him tight against her.

Beckett sighed as the morning fog cleared from her brain. He always knew just what to do, she thought absently. She was in her everyday undies, not fancy silk, and her hair was a mess, she had not a stitch of makeup on her face, yet he was treating her like she was the most beautiful princess in the world. Because to him she was, a fact that pleased Beckett to no end. She leaned into him, hooking a long leg over his hip. 'Rich,' she murmured against his mouth, 'I love you.'

'I love you right back Kate.'

He rolled them so she was underneath him, and he circled her wrists in his hands as he moved down her neck, over her shoulder, down between her breasts. Pausing at those delicious swells, he tasted one then the other, his blood heating as she writhed against him in pleasure. The heat flooded from between her thighs, making him hard; that sensation never failed to make Castle feel like the most powerful man in the world. This woman - his woman - so full of complex layers let them all fall away when they made love and she was simply herself with him.

Beckett closed her eyes, let the sensations her husband created in her roll through full and strong like a summer storm. She ground her hips against his to amplify her own arousal, caressing his skin with just her fingertips so her nails scratched lightly over his skin. When he laved his tongue over her nipple she gasped and gulped; heat flood her further when he lifted his head and stroked his hand down her centre to slip his fingers inside her.

'Mmm-hmm,' she moaned lightly, 'just like that Rich.'

'You want this too?'

Castle drew his fingers away and slipped himself fully into her, setting his pace torturously slow. He wanted to watch her eyes cloud and clear with every stroke he gave her, and his nerves danced when Beckett didn't wrap her legs around his hips but left them open for him. _Whatever I have is yours to take_, she told him with her body and so he did, as he gave her everything of himself. When he watched her come, back arching and mouth open in a gasp of dark delight, it was the image he took with him as his own orgasm consumed him, mind and body.

With her husband's weight pressing into her, Beckett grinned as she stared at the ceiling. God she loved morning sex like this, it was the best kind of wake-up a girl could ask for. 'Did I say good morning to you, Rick?' she asked sweetly, the laugh clearly there.

'Yes, yes you did.' Castle turned his face to her throat, nuzzled where her pulse raced. 'Wish you didn't have to go to work today, then we could have a repeat performance of that when the kids have their naps this afternoon.'

'We could act like teenagers tonight at Mere's birthday party, sneak off and get her and Javi back for making Tessi in our Hamptons boathouse.'

'Oh, tempting Detective. Very very tempting.'

'Well, you'll have all day to think about it. Right now, you need to get a shower and get ready for the day. I know you'll want to be in before nine even though that's what the captain said.'

He knew her way too well, she decided with a giggle, and poked at his shoulders much in the same way RJ did to get their attention. 'Okay so since you got off on me, you need to get off of me.'

'I'll get breakfast started.'

Beckett smiled, even sang, the entire ten minutes she was under the hot spray of the shower as she ran through the day. Leads to follow, CSU results to obtain and analyze, new cases that might come through the door and land on her desk. That was just the job, too; there was also getting the kids ready for Meredeth's birthday part tonight.

With her hair dried and work clothes ready and waiting for her on the bed Beckett wrapped herself in her winter robe and headed for the kitchen. She didn't clue in until she was halfway down the stairs that her stomach was gurgling because of the gorgeous scents of breakfast coming from the kitchen.

When she turned into the kitchen, she grinned when she saw her man also in his bathrobe, manning a pan of shredded potatoes and diced onions as he whisked eggs in a bowl, then poured them into a second waiting. 'Cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese,' Castle mumbled to himself. 'Where the hell did I put the cheese?'

'Try the island.'

Castle looked up and smiled. 'You are a genius,' he told her as he retrieved the bowl of shredded cheddar and added it to the eggs.

'What's all this?'

'I figured since the kids kinda put a damper on the date night I had planned for us last night owing to them wanting family time, instead of date night, we'd have date morning. Orange juice?'

'Please.' Beckett looked over and saw the table had been set for two with the fancy plates they save for at-home date nights, the silver sparkling in the candlelight. Something about candles being lit during a breakfast date charmed her, so she sidled over to Castle at the stove and wrapped her arms around him from behind. 'You are the best hubby in the world.'

'Do me a favour and tell those kinds of things when Paula's around, so she can give the press happy gushy gooey clips,' Castle teased her, poking at the edges of the omelette with a spatula. 'But you're welcome all the same, best wife ever. Here, go have a seat. This is ready.'

Beckett moved over to the table, and grinned when she saw him out the omelette on her plate, added potatoes. 'Western omelette with bacon and red peppers. You never miss a trick.'

'You want coffee too?'

'No, I'll be pumped up soon enough. Oh...oh, god, Richard,' she moaned at the first bite on her tongue. 'This is like heaven.'

They ate together, Castle detailing for her the plan to storyboard the opening scenes of his next chapter while she told him about the court case she would be sitting at on Monday with the boys, enjoying it just like a regular night-time date. Beckett had just polished off her last bite of potatoes when little footsteps sounded on the stairs, the soft _thump-thump_ of a stuffed toy bumping down the stairs.

She turned and saw RJ knuckling his eyes as he dragged Omeo along with him. 'Morning, my little prince.'

'Mumum, it suh-mells so yummy, Omeo want to see what it was.'

'Omeo's a hungry bunny this morning?'

RJ nodded, yawned widely. 'We suh-till sleepy, but we are hungry too. May we share, please?'

'Of course.' Castle rose, plunked RJ into his booster seat and set Omeo on the table beside him, then went to the stove where he potatoes and eggs he'd kept warming beside the stove. 'There we go, fit for a bunny or a king.'

'Nuh-uh, I'm a prince, right Mumum?'

'That's right, RJ,' Beckett laughed as he dug in with his little fork to his breakfast, then heard Jojo through the baby monitor as Castle sat back down. 'I'll get her. Looks like date-breakfast is going to be a family moment too.'


	30. All Together Now

_So here we are, the end of date night! As always I am eternally grateful for those of you who are long-time readers, those who are newcomers to the Crumbsverse and those. Your support of my writing makes me feel so loved. I hope you're ready for what's coming next - a small Lili & Cam oneshot, and it will be followed up by the hotly anticipated 'In the Deep'. So keep on sharing the love!_

* * *

><p>It was barely an hour to sundown and Alexis was a nervous wreck. She wanted everything to be just right, just...okay, just perfect for this. She knew on an intellectual level she was being ridiculous, as this group was very self-directing, but in her heart, she wanted everything to go off without a hitch.<p>

'Lex?' Shane came out of the bathroom, patting his face dry with a towel. He watched her looking around the apartment, moving her hands like she was patting invisible children on the head and laughed. 'Alexis, you need to calm down. Everything is going to be great.'

'I know, I'm just thinking.'

'You've been 'just thinking' since we decided to do this.'

'It's our first major family thing as a married couple, and I know how important Chanukah is to you.'

'You are important to me and you're going to fret yourself into an ulcer,' Shane retorted. He moved to her, wrapped her arms around her from behind. 'It's the third night of Chanukah, my sweet and sexy strawberry, not an espionage exchange.'

'Shane, how many of Meredeth's holiday dinners have you been to? And birthday parties and just-because parties at Mom and Dad's place or in the Hamptons? There's a lot of work that goes into them and you don't see that.'

'Okay. Let's hear it.'

Alexis turned in her husband's arms, kissed him lightly. 'What if the food is late, or the kids get sick, one of them finds something and chokes on it? What if the toilet gets backed up? What if we lose power?'

'And what if a herd of lizards come in through the fire escape wanting to play strip-Parcheesi?'

'I am not being ridiculous,' she told him even though her lips quivered and threatened to curve in a smile. 'I want everything to be just right.'

'You and I both know this group tends to go with the flow.' Shane thought over his word choice, looked at the fridge. 'You think I've got enough beer and wine?'

'Aw, you're just as nervous as me!'

'Nervous, yes. As much as you, not quite.' Shane gave her hair a tug. 'Of course I want this to go well.'

The buzzer for the door went and he kissed his wife before pushing the button to answer it. 'Shalom, who is this?'

'It's the Mazzaras and the Espositos!' Meredeth's voice was crackly yet joyful through the speaker.

'Come on in!'

Shane's stomach did a flip-flop as he looked over at Alexis, who was going to the fridge and setting out her various appetizers -veggies and fruits, cheese and crackers so that everyone would feel slightly healthy before indulging in the fried foods of the main course and wondered if they were going to run out of recycled-paper plates or napkins.

Okay he was just as nervous as her.

He opened the door at the knock and blinked when he saw there was not only the Espositos and the Mazzaras but the George-Espositos as well. 'Lili and Cam were just behind us when we buzzed up,' Meredeth explained, pushing Max's pram into the apartment, 'so we held the door open for them.'

'Hi Alexis, hi Shane.' Tessi gave a little wave, held up the small bag in her hand. 'This is for you. Mami says we bring a gift to someone's home to say thank you for our invitation.'

'It a suh-puh-rise,' Trini added helpfully, though her response was muffled by her little pink scarf.

'Piz,' Max added from his pram. 'Niss.'

'That's right, _primo_ Max,' Duncan said sweetly as he tugged off his boots, knelt to help Leo with his boots as well. 'Surprises are nice.'

'Most of the time,' Lili said with a wink, coming over to pass Alexis a bottle of wine and give her a hug. 'Happy Chanukah, girl. Where's the wine corker?'

'Drawer beside the fridge.'

'Max, easy, buddy.' Esposito set his squirming boy on his feet, and everyone gasped as they watched Max motor on wobbly legs until he ran into his cousin Rosie's leg.

'See!' he crowed in triumph. 'See!'

'I see you, Mister Max,' Rosie replied, taking his hand and taking him over to the living room. 'You wanna play cards?'

'Yea!'

Alexis laughed as she watched the children move like a school of tuna to the living room where they set up camp around the coffee table; Tessi and Rosie took decks of card from their bags and began to shuffle them. Only when she felt a little hand patting her leg did she notice one had hung back.

'Ah-cuse me, Lessis.' Leo looked up at her, big brown eyes shining in hope. 'I have a bev-age, puh-lease an' gassy?'

'Of course you may, young man.'

'Mami, I have a fizzy-pop?'

'Since it's a special occasion, you can have a little bit, Leo,' Meredeth reassured her son, zeroing in on the veggie trays. 'Ooh, yum, tzatziki!'

'It's not homemade, but-'

'Alexis, it's good food served with love for families,' Esposito reassured her, giving her a hug and slapping palms with Shane. 'Not much concern is going into whether or not you, the busy fourth-year med student, had time to bake her ass off.'

'Daddy! No ba' words!' Leo gasped as Alexis passed him a sippy cup filled with Fresca. 'Gassy, Lessis.'

He toddled off, and Esposito passed Alexis a cold beer. 'Here, cheers.'

'Thanks.'

'How's school going? Are you sick of people asking that yet?'

'I'm almost there. After Christmas is going to be crazy because it'll be nothing but applications for counselor internships.'

'You going to stick with just the hospitals or will you look at outpatient clinics too?'

'All of it.' Alexis sipped her beer, reached for a carrot. 'A lot of my classmates are sticking close to Princeton or trying to, and others are going clear across the country but I am settled here. My life is here.'

'Alessis!' Duncan looked over from the table. 'Alessis, Daddy, I have a fizzy-pop?'

'Yes, you may have a fizzy-pop, Duncan-donut.'

'Trini would you like one too?' Alexis asked, and the little girl shook her head.

'No, guh-racias, Alessis. I waitin' fo' Ah-Shay.'

'Of course you are,' Shane laughed; the buzzer went again and this time he welcomed his own family up. 'Well, he's on his way up, sweetie.'

'Yea!'

When he opened the door a few minutes later, he wasn't surprised to find he nearly buckled at the knees because RJ had thrown his arms around his brother-in-law. 'Oof, take it easy with the old man,' Shane playful groaned and RJ laughed uproariously.

'You not old, Shane!' the boy scoffed. 'You jus' right.'

'Thanks.'

'Ah-Shay!'

RJ's face lit up with nothing but pure love as he heard the sweetest voice in the world. He grinned and left Shane in the dust when he saw Trini come over to give him a hug. 'Hello my Trini.'

'Hi Ah-Shay, 'mon we puh-laying cards.'

'No! We gotta play the dreidl game!'

'Wha' that?'

'I show you.'

'RJ, why don't you wait until everyone else gets here,' Castle suggested, holding Jojo while Beckett took off her coat and boots.

'Okay, Daddy, that is a good plan. I think Jojo wants to visit, Daddy,' RJ noted when his little sister leaned half-way out of her mother's grip towards their brother-in-law. 'Shane you got Jojo?'

'Yes, I got her, come here cutie.' Shane held hout his arms for Jojo and grinned when she patted her little hands on his cheeks, kissed each one of them.

'Mah, mah, Shin.'

'Mwah back to you.' He planted a large, raspberry kiss on her cheek and made the tyke squeal in joy.

'No-no-no! Sis?'

'Sis is right there.'

'Yes, come to sis,' Alexis cooed at Jojo, who stretched towards her big sister. Immediately when she was there, she went for the redhead's hair, tugged the fiery strands gently.

'Pidy,' Jojo told her.

'Thank you. Can you say hi to Javi?'

Jojo turned a little bashful, putting her head on Alexis' shoulder, but she batted her eyes at the detective nonetheless. 'Hi, Hoppy.'

'That's what Dell used to call me,' Esposito laughed, moved over to get a plate of snacks.

'What do you think, Jojo?' Alexis asked her sister as she watched everyone mix and mingle, Shane welcome in more guests. 'It's a good spread?'

'Yea Sis!'

'Thanks, bumblebee.'

'Bee.' Jojo patted her little chest. 'Bee. Mumum?'

'Yeah, we'll get you over there to Mumum.'

Shane watched his wife move through the growing crowd of people over to the couch in the living room where Beckett was having a glass of wine and chatting with Cam while they kept an eye on the kids. Her nerves were pretty much gone, while his were still hanging around a little, mostly because he was going to give the holiday blessing much as Castle did when they had Christmas in Chelsea.

When he saw Sloan and Devon come through the door, Shane got a happy little rush when he saw Jeremy accompanying them. That was a couple he never would have put together but much like Alexis and himself they just worked together. The rush at seeing the way he tenderly held Devon close so Sloan could tug off gloves and scarf and hat could have been nerves too, because they were the last ones to arrive which meant it was time for him to call everyone together for the lighting of the candles and saying the blessings.

He went to the cluster of children in the living room - they'd moved the table out of the way and they were indeed playing the dreidl game and RJ was overseeing the game, making sure Trini and Leo helped Max.

'Look, Max!' Trini pointed to the little wooden top. 'That mean you win!'

'Yea!'

Leo shoved the little pile of wrapped chocolates toward his brother, who simply shoved them away. 'Max, they fo' you.'

'Shah. Niss.'

'That's right it's nice to share,' RJ agreed, then caught Shane's eye. 'Time for candles and supper?'

'You know it, buddy.'

'Okay. 'Mon every-one! Supper time! Tidy-up time!'

Once the space had been sufficiently cleared, the children dispersed to their own parents, but RJ hung back with Shane and held up his bunched-together fingertips. 'We are a good team, Shane.'

'We are indeed. So are me and that beautiful lady over there.'

He pointed to Alexis, walked over to give her a kiss at the head of the table where the candles were in the menorah, ready to be lit. 'Well, before we light the candles, I would like to thank everyone for coming,' he said, addressing the group. 'This is our first Chanukah together as a married couple, and hopefully, maybe we can turn this into a yearly tradition as well. Unless it interferes with Boxing Day in Chelsea, we don't want to miss out on Meredeth's home cooking.'

Everyone laughed, and Alexis continued. 'Everyone hold hands please.'

They joined together, making a long and looping chaining of family while Alexis took the long-stick wooden match and touched it to the middle candle as Shane recited the first blessing. She touched it to the wicks of the first four candles, right to left from her point of view during the second one, then stepped back to take Shane's hand in hers.

'Bless us Lord, for the gifts of food, wine, family and love. May we never know starvation, thirst, or loneliness, and may we always find the joy in Thy world big and small.'

Everyone murmured an 'Amen', then Shane clapped his hands together.

'Now, let's eat!'


End file.
